By The New Diplomat Political Desk
The political crisis rocking Rivers State has continued to escalate as the faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly led by Victor Oko-Jumbo, has strongly rebuffed a recent declaration of the Martin Amaewhule-led factional House of Assembly.
Oko-Jumbo, in his opening remarks during plenary on Tuesday, declared that the Amaewhule-led Assembly has no legal standing to bar Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State from spending government funds.
Recall that the trouble began on Monday when the Amaewhule-led factional House of Assembly claimed that it had shut down all expenditures of Fubara.
The factional Assembly believed to be loyal to the immediate past Governor of Rivers state and incumbent Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike said the decision is hinged on the failure of Fubara to present the state’s budget before its House.
However, the Oko-Jumbo-led House of Assembly on Tuesday said the declaration of Amaewhule and 24 others was unfounded and without validity.
Oko-Jumbo argued that the group had no legal capacity or moral basis, to bar the governor from spending public funds.
The speaker also insisted that Amaewhule and 24 others are not members of the Assembly, following their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in December 2023.
Buttressing his argument, he stated that the Assembly led by him, is the legally recognised section, which manages the statutory allocation of the house.
Oko-Jumbo explained that Fubara had duly presented the said appropriation bill to the house when Edison Ehie was the speaker, and that same was passed and signed into law.
He said that the house is awaiting the presentation of the medium-term expenditure framework ahead of the 2025 fiscal year.
He urged the public to ignore Amaewhule pronouncement, and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to without delay conduct bye-election to fill the 25 vacant seats in the house.
The New Diplomat reports that the Rivers State House of Assembly had been divided into factions following the acrimonious relationship between Fubara and his predecessor, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
While the Oko-Jumbo-led House is believed to be loyal to Fubara, the Amaewhule-led House is believed to be loyal to Wike.
The two factions have also been holding parallel sittings. The faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly led by Amaewhule holds its sitting at the State Assembly official quarters along Aba Road, in Port Harcourt.
On the other hand, the faction led by Oko-Jumbo holds its sitting at a Hallowed Chamber in the Government House, Port Harcourt.
It would be recalled also that Rivers State has been in the news for over eight months over the cold war between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Wike.
While the reasons for the acrimony between the duo remain top secret, some insider sources had said that Wike and Fubara had been purportedly battling for control of the oil-rich state’s resources and political machinery.
