Onyinyechi DURU
A youth leader in Rivers State, Hon. Chimenem Bobo Worlu, has vehemently condemned the invitation by the state governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule, and 26 others.
Worlu, who is a former Obio/Akpor Local Government Area chapter Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), described the invitation as an insult and a joke taken too far.
The youth leader, who is known as the state NYCN chair, stated this in an interview with TPCN on Monday.
He accused Fubara of violating constitutional order and urged him to honor the invitation given to him by the assembly.
The youth leader claimed that the governor’s actions had led to a breakdown of law and order in the state, insisting that the state does not have commissioners and an attorney general.
According to him, Government House was not the Assembly quarters, and if Fubara wanted to meet with the Assembly, he should go to the Assembly chambers.
Worlu said, “The arm of government should play its respective role and obey the rule of law.
“What is causing issues in Rivers State today is the violation of constitutional order. The governor has violated constitutional orders on several occasions. He has his power as the executive governor of the state, and the Assembly also has its power as the legislative arm of government of the state. So if there is a breakdown of the rule of law, there will be a breakdown of order in the state.
“Today, Rivers State has no commissioner, no attorney general. Where is the state heading to? And the governor is not bothered about it.”
He described Fubara’s invitation to the Assembly as “stealing by tricks.”
“This is a democratic system of government where we have three arms of government: the executive, judiciary, and legislative.
“Now, the legislative arm of the government has been calling on the governor. We have seen a series of letters, even after the Supreme Court judgment, which the governor boldly declined and made the general public know that he is not answerable to the Assembly.
“Even when the Supreme Court has given a verdict, he refused to act according to the judgment of the Supreme Court, even after they gave him 48 hours. Then, after about a week, he is now coming back to invite the Assembly, writing to see him within less than six hours.
“Government House is not the Assembly quarters. Rivers State House of Assembly, as enshrined in the Constitution, has no office in Government House. The Assembly has their chambers, they have their office. It’s the duty of the governor, if he wants to see the Assembly, to go down to the Assembly chambers, have a sitting with the Assembly through the leadership, who is the Speaker of the state.
“So the governor doesn’t want to sit with the Assembly, he doesn’t want to have a meeting with them, that is why he is giving an invitation that is not possible.
“The Assembly has no office in Government House. Will the Assembly sit with the governor in his office? That’s a capital no. It has never happened before.”
He noted that, “What the governor is doing is not constitutional, and it’s not part of a democratic system of government. The Assembly has its right, and they should be respected. They are not children; that office is not for marketing.
“What the governor is doing is a joke taken too far. The joke of the governor with Rivers people and the State House of Assembly—the way he is treating them—is a joke taken too far. He has gone too far with this joke.
“It’s an insult for the governor to invite the Assembly to his office when he knows his relationship with the Assembly. We don’t need to hide any feelings. The governor knows that his relationship with the Assembly is not fair, and they have issues to settle, and that should be done in the House of Assembly chambers, not the governor’s office.
“So for the governor to wake up and command—it’s a command—giving them a formation in less than six hours, even on a weekend, it’s an insult to the Assembly.”
He appealed to the youths of the state not to “take laws into their hands because the law must surely speak, and when the law speaks, actions will be taken. It might take time, but it must surely come.”
