Rivers has no House of Assembly — Gov Fubara
“I am the one that is badly hit, even when I have all the government instruments to shake up the table.”
Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State on Monday declared that there is no House of Assembly in the state, a statement that suggest the collapse of the peace deal brokered by President Bola Tinubu.
“Let me say it here, those group of men who claim that they are assembly members, they are not existing. I want it to be on record,” Mr Fubara told a visiting delegation from Bayelsa State led by former Governor Seriake Dickson.
The delegation, which included political and traditional rulers from Bayelsa State, paid Governor Fubara a courtesy visit at Government House, Port Harcourt.
This is contained in a statement sent by the spokesperson to Governor Fubara.
The oil-rich Bayelsa State was carved out from the old Rivers State in 1996.
Rivers has been enmeshed in political crisis since October last year after some lawmakers backed by the immediate-past Governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, attempted to impeach Mr Fubara.
The crisis steadily deteriorated till last December when President Tinubu brokered the peace between Mr Wike (now Minister of FCT) and Mr Fubara after the seats of 27 lawmakers loyal to the FCT minister were declared vacant.
Mr Fubara in the peace deal was asked to allow the pro-Wike lawmakers whose seats were declared vacant to return to the assembly with their rights and privileges restored, including conducting legislative business at a venue of their choice.
The lawmakers had since their restoration dispensed with Mr Fubara assent to bills in the state.
Speaking on Monday while receiving the visiting Bayelsa State delegation, Mr Fubara declared that the state has no house of assembly that he accepted the peace deal to give the lawmakers a “floating”.
“I accepted that peace accord to give them a floating. That’s the truth. There is nothing in that peace accord that is a constitutional issue. It is a political solution to a problem. I accepted it because these are people that were visiting me and we were together in my house.
“These are people that I have helped… in many ways when I wasn’t even a governor. Yes, we might have our disagreements, but I believe that one day, we could also come together. That was the reason I did it.
“But I think it has gotten to a time when I need to make a statement on this thing, so that they understand that they are not existing. Their existence and whatever they have been doing is because I allowed them to do so. If I don’t recognise them, they are nowhere, that is the truth,” Governor Fubara said.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Martin Amaewhule and the Assembly spokesperson, Enemi George did not respond to request for comment on the matter at the time of filing this report.
Speaking further during the visit, Governor Fubara said, “I want you to see the sacrifice I have made to allow peace to be in our State. I can say here, with all amount of boldness, I have never called any policeman anywhere to go and harass anybody.
“I have never gone anywhere to ask anybody to do anything against anybody. But what happens to the people that are supporting me? They are being harassed, they are being arrested and detained. There is no week that somebody doesn’t come here with one letter of invitation for trump-up charges and all those things.
“I am saying all these because of what my senior said here: restrain. I don’t think the other party has shown any restraint. I am the one that has shown restraint in the face of this crisis.
“I am the one that is badly hit, even when I have all the government instruments to shake up the table. But, why will I do it? I believe that peace is the best relationship to cultivate.”
Mr Fubara thanked the delegation for the solidarity visit to him and his Government, and added that there is no complete Rivers State without Bayelsa State and vice versa, which demands that they continue to work together for development.
“We were separated because of political purposes to expand development, but we need to be united so that the economies of these two states will grow.
“There is no need for us to have any argument over assets, there is no need for us to have disagreement over issue of who owns this or who doesn’t own that.
“One way or the other, we are even inter-related. That is the truth. So, there is no need for fight.” Mr Fubara said.