Court Stops Wike’s Loyalist From Parading As Rivers Assembly Speaker

A Rivers State High Court has temporarily ordered the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and 24 other lawmakers to stop parading themselves as members of the Assembly.

TrackNews reports that the suspended lawmakers are reportedly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who is currently in a rift with Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The Rivers High Court also prohibited Martin Amaewhule from convening plenary at the assembly premises.

READ ALSO: Rivers Assembly Strips Fubara Of Powers To Appoint Caretaker Chairmen

The interim injunction was filed by the pro-Fubara Speaker, Victor Jumbo and two other Assembly members loyal to the Governor.

Justice Charles Wali, who gave the order on Friday, in a case with suit number PHC/1512/CS/2024, also ordered that the 25 defendants from “meeting/sitting at the auditorium of the House of Assembly Quarters located at off Aba Road, Port Harcourt, or any other place whatsoever to purport to carry out the legislative business of the Rivers State House of Assembly, their legislative seats having been declared vacant pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.”

The court subsequently postponed the case until May 29th.

Armed Policemen Take Over Rivers House Of Assembly Quarters
Meanwhile, heavily armed policemen on Friday took over the entrances to the Rivers State House of Assembly quarters located along the Aba Road, Port Harcourt, the state capital.

TrackNews understands the policemen, numbering about thirty, used their patrol vehicles to block the first and second gates to the entrances of the quarters and secure the facility.

The development follows the allegation raised by the Martins Amaewhule-led House of Assembly, which claimed that the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, was planning to demolish the quarters following his recent surprise visit to the facility on Thursday.

Governor Fubara had, however, denied any plan or intention of demolishing the quarters, saying the visit was part of his normal duties.

The governor said: “Is the Assembly quarters not part of my property? Is there anything wrong in going to check how things are going on there?

“You are aware of the developments. We have a new speaker, and I went there to see for myself how things are. There might be a few things I might want to do there for the good of our people.”

It was learnt that following the alarm raised by Amaewhule, the anti-Fubara lawmakers including some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) kept vigil around the estate till daybreak.