Edison Ehie, Rivers factional Speaker, quits Rivers Assembly
Edison Ehison’s letter to INEC Chairman
By Emma Ogbuehi
Apparently exasperated by the deadly political intrigues that have enveloped Rivers State and the seeming betrayal of the governor, Siminalayi Fubara, the factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Edison Ehie, has resigned his position.
Ehie is one of the four lawmakers that backed Fubara to the hilt in the wake of the war of attrition that broke between the governor and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
In an unprecedented move, Ehie, in a letter he personally addressed to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), also quit his membership of the Rivers 10th House of Assembly representing Ahoada East Constituency 2.
The former lawmaker, whose removal as the Leader of the House by the Speaker Martins Amaewhule-led House of Assembly triggered chains of political reactions and suspicions, dated his letter December 29.
Ehie titled his letter, “Notice of Resignation as Speaker and Member Representing Ahoada-East Constituency II in the 10th Rivers State House of Assembly.
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The letter said: “This is to formally notify you of my voluntary resignation as Speaker and member of the 10th Rivers State House of Assembly representing Ahoada-East Constituency II with effect from the date of this letter.
“I wish to deeply appreciate my colleagues and the people of my Constituency for the rare opportunity to serve and hope to continue to give my utmost best in service to Rivers State subsequently”.
Ehie had declared himself the Speaker same day he was removed as the House Leader following ensuing brawl between Governor Siminialayi Fubara and the Amaewhule-led House.
The dispute between Fubara and the House culminated in bombing the hallowed chamber and issuing an impeachment notice to the governor, who later responded by demolishing the hallowed chamber of the Assembly in Port Harcourt.
But the intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led to the signing of the eight-point resolution by Fubara and the lawmakers.
The agreement ticked all the boxes in favour of Wike leaving Fubara with the short end of the political stick.
As part of the agreement, the lawmakers withdrew their impeachment notice while Fubara paid all their withheld entitlements.
It was gathered that after the peace deal, Ehie fought back because nothing in the resolutions recognised him and gave him soft landing.
However, sources said some promises had been made to Ehie, who was seen as the only weak link in permanently resolving the dispute, by the presidency.
But to activate those promises, he must not only resign his speakership but quit the Assembly.
Ehie had obtained a court order that recognised him as the Speaker in a case he instituted against the lawmakers.
It was before the Ehie-led House of Assembly that the governor presented the state’s 2024 Appropriation Bill and later signed same after passage, though the peace deal required him to re-present the Bill to the Amaewhule-led Assembly
Ehie’s resignation was said to have facilitated the process of ending all disputes and fulfilling the other items in the peace document.
But his exit further makes Fubara’s position more tenuous and vulnerable.