A factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, has rejected the 2024 Appropriation Bill signed into law by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
This is as he explained that the 27 lawmakers that defected to the All Progressives Progress from the Peoples Democratic Party did so because President Bola Tinubu had fulfilled the promise made to the state PDP leaders when they met with him in Abuja.
Amaewhule spoke during the APC, Rivers State dedication service, and stakeholders meeting in Port Harcourt on Sunday.
He said “You know some time ago, leaders of the PDP from the state visited Mr President in Abuja. We begged Mr President. The former President could not attend to the problems of the state.
“So our leaders begged Mr. President, we have a problem, look at the East-West Road leading to Ogoni land.
“This is a President that is not in our party. Unlike the previous President, he (Tinubu) gave us his words and said “Go back home irrespective of your party, I am a detribalisedd Nigerian.’
“The President told us he will do the East-West Road.Today work is ongoing and in no distance time, that project will be completed.
“Access to the refinery and all the companies along the stretch of the road will be complete. This is the President that says a thing and he does it.”
Amaewhule also said Tinubu has been appointing Rivers people who are not members of his party into positions of trust since heassumed power.
He said, “Do you know what the President is doing since he became President he has given appointments to Rivers people irrespective of parties? Mr President, for the first time, gave a strategic appointment to somebody that is not from his party as FCT Minister.
“He also appointed Chief Boma Iyaye, Executive Director Finance and Administration of NDDC and many other appointments he had given to Rivers sons, including the presidential spokesman.
“All the people he appointed are not APC members the President shows that he is detribalised.”
He added, “So we have taken a position to be in the APC to work with Mr President. Mr President has appointed many people from Rivers State. All we need to do is to support and pray for them so that good things can come to Rivers State.”
He said that as lawmakers, their job is to come up with legislations that will help the state, saying, they are already doing that, even as he took a swipe at Fubara for withholding funds meant for the running of the Assembly.
He noted, “You are aware that we just passed the Rivers State funds management bill, 2023. That bill is talking about financial autonomy of state legislators.
“What it means is that as soon as assent is giving to that bill, we don’t need to run to the governor begging for funds to manage the House of Assembly.
“What the governor is doing by not releasing funds to the state assembly is against the constitution. As we speak, the governor has gone to demolish the House of Assembly complex. An edifice built with tax payers’ money.
“He personally supervised it, not minding that our property, everything belonging to members and staff inside, and they are looting them. Documents, our achieves.”
He made a veiled reference to the 2024 Appropriation Bill signed into law by the governor, saying a committee of friends decided to do what they did, describing it as a nullity.
“The governor, we hear that some four people gathered committee of friends and met somewhere. I don’t know what they are doing. Rivers people know it today that the House of Assembly of any state is defined by the Constitution.
“The only way you can convey the House, you need to have quorum. Quorum is 11. If you are not up to 11, anything you are doing is family meeting or beer parlour meeting.
“Anything you hear they have done (budget) ignore them, It is null and void. The law is clear. Anything you are doing, you must in line with the dictates of the Constitution and the standing orders of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“So anytime we meet, it is Rivers State House of Assembly. Anytime they meet, it is beer parlour meeting. If they like, they should carry all the funds of the state and give to them, they do not have that name House of Assembly. So don’t bother yourself, the House of Assembly is intact.”
Continuing, Amaewhule said, “We have gathered information that they are planning to attack us tomorrow (Monday). They want to go to the quarters to attack us. You are aware they came to attack my residence.
“We hear they are planning another one to attack us again. So watch and see. But there is no form of attack that can deter us.”
Meanwhile, a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Enemi George, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to disregard the letter purportedly written to it by a faction of the House declaring their seats vacant.
George, who is the former spokesman of the House, made the call during a telephone chat with our correspondent on Sunday.
He stated, “Can a Speaker declare a seat vacant? Is he a Speaker in the first place? Can four people elect a Speaker out of 31?
“There is nothing like factional Speaker. We have just one Speaker in the Rivers State House of Assembly in the person of Martin Amaewhule. You can’t build something on nothing. Can three people elect a Speaker out of 31 people?
“We are a 32-member Assembly. One died so we are 31 now. 27 now suspended four. So the four people that are in suspension will now say they held sitting. You can’t hold any sitting out of 31, even without suspension.
“You have to form quorum to convene the House which is 11 people. Then you need two third majority which is 22 to elect a Speaker. So who elected you Speaker? So you can’t build something on nothing.
“No other Speaker was elected. Martin Amaewhule was elected on the 5th of June, 2023 and has been a Speaker of the House till this day. Everything they are doing is outside the fact.”
In the letter written to INEC to conduct election to fill vacant seats, he said Ehie does not have the competence to do so.
He stated, “Does the person have the requisite competence to write to INEC? Does the law enable the person to write to INEC?
“If your father is signing affidavit for you for age declaration and then a stranger for nowhere goes to sign that you are 30-years-old, does it make any sense? The person does not know you, does not know when you are born, has no right at all.
“He has no right at all to even write that letter. The person should go to prison for impersonation. That is the level we are going to now.
“You were never elected a Speaker. There is only one Speaker in the Assembly, constitutionally, morally and however you want to look at it. So the question of Speakership is not even in contention.
“They are just fooling themselves. It will expire. The reason is that we have your mandate to sit in the House and make laws for the good governance of Rivers State and carry out our oversight functions.”
