A legal practitioner says the activities of Martin Amaewhule led Rivers State House of Assembly will be declared invalid by a law court for carrying out plenary outside the approved legislative chamber.
Speaking to journalist Mr. Courage Nsirimovu stated that the Oko Jumbo-led legislature had a meeting place that was gazetted and could not be set aside by the Amaewhule-led legislature.
Mr. Nsirimovu stressed that it is the duty of the state governor to provide a place for the assembly members to converge for the business of law-making not the legislative arm of government.
“The governor has the responsibility to provide a place for them given that there is an issue with the initial hallowed chambers by executive order not for them to provide a place for themselves except through court.
“If the governor presents the budget there, there are some people who will go to court to say that the act of the governor or proceeding is invalid.”
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Mr. Nsirimovu commended Governor Siminalayi Fubara for extending an olive branch to the twenty- seven lawmakers who are loyal to the immediate past governor of the state Nyesom Wike and described it as a bold step in the right direction to achieve a lasting peace in the state.
“I think the governor is taking the right step to obey the judgment. Supreme Court was right that due process was not followed therefore the election is invalid. The governor has taken steps and started the process of another election the persons elected on that defective procedure have been asked to leave the seat and then the procedure to conduct another election is on the way, which is a step in the right direction. Obeying the order of the court is something we should commend at this point for the peace of Rivers State.”
The political affairs analyst regretted the Supreme Court’s inability to adequately address the matter of defection of the twenty-seven lawmakers which is the bone of contention in Rivers State politics.
“Supreme Court says if you defect from a political party without good reason you will lose your seat, they thought in that judgment that the Supreme Court would have dealt on the defection rather it went ahead to lambast the state governor”, he explained.
The legal expert however urged all aggrieved parties to sheath their swords and chat a new course for the development of the state.
