Factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Chike Amaewhule, has explained that the twenty-five members of the Assembly defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) because of the crisis rocking the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as well as the current development effort of President Bola Tinubu in Rivers State.
Speaking on Sunday during a dedication service and stakeholders meeting of the APC in Port Harcourt, Amaeehule explained that the 25 members defected in line with section 109 of the 1999 constitution, having notice that there is crisis in the PDP.
“We defected in line to the provision of the 1999 constitution, section 109. We didn’t do anything contrary to the constitution. We have evidence that there is crisis in the PDP. We have every right under the constitution to defect.
“We hear that some four persons gathered and are meeting
somewhere we don’t know. What they are doing Rivers people should know it today the House of Assembly of any state is defined by the Constitution. The only way you can reconvene the House, you need to have quorum and quorum is 11.
“if you are not upto 11, anything you are doing is a family meeting. Anything they told you they have done, ignore them. It’s null and void. The law is clear anything you are doing, you must do it in line with the dictates of the constitution and the standing orders of the Rivers House of Assembly. We are 27 in all. They are just four. So whenever we meet who is meeting, it’s Rivers State House of Assembly.
“We begged Mr President, the former president could not attend to the problems of the State, so we begged Mr President (Bola Ahmed Tinubu) that we have a problem. Look at the east west road. The road leading to Ogoni, the president that is not in our party unlike the previous president.
“The president gave us his words and said go back home irrespective of your party, I am a detribalized Nigerian, that’s what the president told us.
“The east west road, work is on going and in no distance time that project will be completed. Access to the refinery, access to all the companies along the stretch of the road will be complete that is the president that says a thing and he does it.
“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 for somebody that is not from his party. It’s not only the appointment of the FCT Minister, he has given appointments to many Rivers sons.
“All the people he appointed are not APC members. The president shows that he is detribalized. So in making a choice of which party to go to this is a president that means well for the people. Let me inform you we have done investigation and we know that in the coming weeks , early next week, a lot will be done and we believe that when we have Petroleum products refined in this part of the country, prices of petroleum products will drop.
“But let me tell you something that is very important, I did not say that everything is well in the country. The president has started well and the foundation is strong. The president needs the support of Nigerians. So in making our decisions to leave PDP, the PDP never said anything when the House of Assembly was burnt down. No official statement from the PDP. They did not condemn it when the state legislature was burnt down. The party never condemned which shows that they were not interested in what we are doing in the House of Assembly we have tsken a decision to be in APC.
“All we need to do as Rivers is to support Mr President every person that Mr President has appointed we should pray and support them and Mr President so that the president will continue to do good things for the state. As legislatures, our job is to come up with legislation that helps the people of Rivers State.
“We have just passed the state fund management bill that grants the financial autonomy of the State legislation. What it means is that as soon as assent is given to that bill we don’t have to run to the governor to be begging for funds to manage the House of Assembly.
“Currently, the governor has stopped funding the state House of Assembly. But once the bill is consented to what it means is that funding will come straight from consolidated revenue of the State. What the governor is doing by not releasing funds to the state Assembly is against the constitution. The governor has stopped funding the Assembly that is a misconduct on part of the governor.
“As we speak the governor has gone to demolish the state House of Assembly, an edifice built with tax payers money. e personally supervised the demolition of the complex not minding that our properties everything belonging to Members and staffs are inside there and they are looting them , documents , our archives, our belongings are inside. What the governor is doing, not minding that what he is doing is against the law.”
On his part, the caretaker committee chairman of APC , Tony Okocha said APC now has majority in the state House of Assembly, noting that the party will support and protect it’s members against the antics of the PDP government.
Okocha assured members of the party that APC will be strong from the unit to the state levels, adding that on no account will APC in Rivers State boycott any elections against.
“I challenge the PDP governor if they were not those who burn the House of Assembly. House of Assembly is not a structure. It is individuals that make the House. The 27 lawmakers can sit anywhere as long as they have the mace of the House with them”, he said, adding that if Governor Siminalayi Fubara is afraid of impeachment, “he should then guide his loins”.
National chairman of the APC, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, was represented at the occasion by the legal adviser of the party, Prof Abdulkarim Kana.
