By Kolawole Ojebisi
As the crisis rocking Rivers State deepens, one of the individuals laying claim to the speakership of the house of assembly, Victor Oko-Jumbo, has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct bye-elections to fill the seats of the lawmakers loyal to Nyesom Wike.
The Rivers State House of Assembly has been polarised since 2023, following a rift between the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his immediate predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is currently minister of the federal capital territory (FCT).
In December 2023, 27 members of the House of Assembly defected from the PDP to the APC.
Victor Oko-Jumbo is the speaker elected by the pro-Fubara’s loyalists. Though he wasn’t initially occupying the post
The post initially belonged to Ehie Edison, another loyalist of governor Fubara, who was elected speaker of the factional assembly on the heels of the crisis that tore the house of assembly apart.
But Ehie was removed as speaker by members led by Martin Amaehule, a loyalist of Wike, amid the plot to impeach Fubara.
Edison later resigned as a lawmaker to become chief of staff to the governor and Oko-Jumbo took over from him.
In June, a high court in Rivers refused to declare seats of 27 pro-Wike lawmakers vacant.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, Oko-Jumbo said since Amaewhule secured the injunction he and the 26 others lawmakers are not doing “anything to diligently prosecute their suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja”.
“On Wednesday, the 30th day of October, 2024, Martin Chike Amaewhule and 26 others, without any reason, discontinued Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1681/2023 and it was accordingly struck out,” he said.
“The only impediment to INEC conducting a bye election to fill the 27 vacant seats in the Rivers State House of Assembly was the order of Interlocutory Injunction restraining INEC from conducting a bye election.
“Now that Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1681/2023 has been struck out, the order of interlocutory injunction is also spent.
“Accordingly, as the Rt. Honourable speaker of the Rivers state house of assembly I call on INEC to forthwith conduct a bye election to fill the 27 vacant seats in the Rivers state house of assembly.”
