Fubara’s faceoff with Rivers Assembly continues as lawmakers override gov’s assent to four bills
By Jeffrey Agbo
Rivers State House of Assembly has overridden Governor Siminalayi Fubara and passed four bills to laws, indicating the governor’s faceoff with the lawmakers is not over.
The House took the decision to override the governor’s assent during its 99th Legislative Sitting at the Assembly quarters along Aba Road on Friday.
This was contained in a statement issued by Martins Wachukwu, media aide to the Speaker of the State Assembly and sent to reporters.
The assembly’s action came on a day the governor swore in the nine commissioners, who resigned their appointments in the heat of the crisis between the governor and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is now minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
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The statement indicated that the lawmakers took the decision after the governor withheld his assent to the four bills via letters to the House, which were read on the floor of the House, stating that such amendments would create confusion and breach constitutional provisions.
Remarking on the Rivers State House of Assembly Fund Management Bill, which was presented afresh by the Majority Leader, Major Jack, and debated by members; the Speaker, Amaewhule, cited Section 100(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as altered, which empowers the House to override the governor, where the governor withholds his assent.
“The Speaker then put the question and the 24 members present at the sitting unanimously agreed to override the governor,” the statement said.
In like manner, the Rivers State Local Government Law (Amendment) Bill, the Rivers State Traditional Rulers’ Law (Amendment) Bill, and the Rivers State Advertisement and Use of State-owned Property Prohibition (Repeal) Bill were all represented, debated, and voted upon with a unanimous decision to override the governor’s assent.
Speaking on the decision of the Rivers Assembly on the bills, Amaewhule emphasised that reason adduced by the governor for withholding assent on the Local Government Amendment Bill appears to be anticipatory and tailored toward creating a situation that would make holding of election in the state impracticable, because the amendment curtailed the powers of the governor in suspending local government council chairmen and appointment of caretaker committees.
One other implication of the Local Government Amendment Law is that the state has to conduct local government election at the expiration of the three-year tenure of the current officials in the next two months.