- SAN prays court to stop Fubara from re-presenting 2024 budget
The Rivers State House of Assembly has confirmed nine Commissioner nominees designated for reinstatement.
The nominees were, however, requested to take a bow and leave, exempting them from rigours usually associated with screening processes.
The confirmation was reached at Wednesday’s plenary, held at the temporary chambers of the assembly residential quarters in the state.
The nominees for reinstatement included Zacchaeus Adangor (SAN), Jacobson Mbina; Gift Worlu; Mrs. Inime Chinwenwo- Aguma; Chukwuemeka Woke; Prof. Chinedu Mmom; George-Kelly Alabo; Isaac Kamalu and Austin Chioma.
They are loyalists of former Governor Nyesom Wike who is now the Federal Capital Territory Minister.
During the session, the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule (Obio Akpor 1), read a letter from Governor Siminalayi Fubara which was dated December 11, 2023.
The letter requested the screening and confirmation of the nine commissioner nominees who also resigned from office at the heat of political crises in the state.
Responding to the letter, the House Majority Leader, Major Jack (Akuku-Turu 1), moved a motion permitting the nominees to take a bow and leave since they had been previously screened for the same purpose.
The motion was supported by Deputy Speaker, Dumle Maol (Gokana), and also unanimously supported by all 22 legislators present at the plenary.
Apart from the formal introductions, the nominees were simply asked to take a bow and leave.
SAN prays court to stop Fubara from re-presenting 2024 budget
In a related development, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kayode Ajulo, has filed a suit seeking to stop Governor Similalaye Fubara from re-presenting the 2024 budget to the House of Assembly.
The SAN asked the court to stop such a move, pending the hearing and determination of a suit filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The lawyer in the suit with number No.: FHC/ABJ/CS/1718/2023 also called on the court to restrain the House of Assembly and the Speaker of the House from screening and confirming the commissioners appointed by Governor Fubara.
Ajulo particularly urged the court to take cognizance of motion on notice attached with the suit and stop the holding of plenary sessions by the 27 members of the State House of Assembly out of the 32 members.
He urged the court to stop the 27 members of the House of Assembly from holding a plenary for defecting from the ruling PDP to the APC without any justification or lawful excuse whatsoever.
He said the 27 lawmakers decided to defect from the PDP, the platform under which they were elected as honorable members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, to the APC.
He said the seats of the 27 lawmakers have been declared vacant by the other five lawmakers who refused to join them in the defection, adding that they had no right to return to the House, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
The SAN urged all parties, including loyalists or their representatives, to maintain status quo ante pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
The Rivers State House of Assembly led by Martin Amaewhule, re-invited on January 15 to screen nine commissioners who resigned their positions in 2023.
The commissioners were, however, reconfirmed on Wednesday by the Rivers State House of Assembly.
It would be recalled that a group, the Convener of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, led by Chief Edwin Clark, had called for the declaration of the seats of the 27 lawmakers vacant.
The group insisted that the 27 lawmakers who defected to the APC without any known crisis in the PDP had no right to be members of the House of Assembly.
