Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
One of the factional Speakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Mr Edison Ehie, has declared the seats of 27 lawmakers vacant over their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the latest drama from the state.
Mr Ehie, who leads a four-member group loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, declared vacant all the seats of all the lawmakers in the Mr Martins Amaewhule-led group.
Mr Ehie and Mr Amaewhule have been embroiled in a Speakership tussle that is in court based on backing offered by Governor Fubara and the former governor of the state and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike.
Mr Ehie and his allies decided on the move to an undisclosed venue used for plenary on Wednesday following the demolition of the Assembly Complex by the state government.
The governor also presented the N800 billion 2024 budget estimates to the Mr Ehie-led group at the Government House at the same moment the demolition of the Assembly Complex was being carried out.
Business Post understands that the Rivers State Executive Council had earlier approved the budget tagged the Budget of Renewed Hope, Consolidation and Continuity
The 27 members were said to be loyal to Mr Amaewhule, who is an ally of Mr Wike, who governed the state for eight years until May 29, 2023.
The defection of the lawmakers was said to be a direct response to a mass exodus of some local politicians from the APC and Social Democratic Party (SDP) to the PDP last weekend.
The crisis in the 32-member Assembly had begun as a result of a rift between Mr Fubara and his political godfather, Mr Wike.
In October, the Assembly under Mr Amaewhule served an impeachment notice on Mr Fubara and removed Mr Ehie as the House leader. However, some members of the Assembly loyal to the governor immediately impeached Mr Amaewhule and made Mr Ehie the new Speaker.
Following this, a Rivers High Court sitting in Port Harcourt subsequently restrained the Mr Amaewhule-led group from forcefully gaining access into the assembly complex, pending the hearing of the suit before it.
The court order was secured by Mr Ehie from Justice M.W. Danagogo of the Rivers State High Court.
