The Rivers State House of Assembly made a significant move on Monday by passing the Rivers State Local Government (Amendment) Bill into law, despite Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s previous refusal to assent to it.
This new legislation brings about several changes, notably stripping the governor of the authority to appoint caretaker committees for local government areas. Additionally, it mandates the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission to conduct elections before the expiration of local government chairmen’s tenure.
Under the new law, if local government elections cannot take place for any reason, the sitting chairmen’s tenure may be extended by up to six months. This marks the sixth occasion where the House has overridden the governor’s veto to enact laws, showcasing the Assembly’s determination to assert its legislative prerogatives.
Led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, the House made this decision during its 159th Legislative sitting at the Assembly Quarters in Port Harcourt. The announcement was made by the Speaker’s media aide, Martins Wachukwu, in a statement on Monday.
The Assembly initially passed the Local Government (Amendment) Bill on March 13, 2014, and forwarded it to the governor for approval. However, Governor Fubara withheld his assent, prompting the Assembly to threaten an override.
Tensions between the Assembly and the governor have been ongoing, especially since Fubara’s fallout with his predecessor and political mentor, Nyesom Wike. The loyalty of twenty-seven Assembly members, including the Speaker, to Wike was evident when they attempted to impeach Fubara last October.
Although President Bola Tinubu intervened to ease tensions temporarily, recent events suggest a resurgence of hostilities between the two factions.
In addition to passing the Local Government (Amendment) Bill, the Assembly screened and confirmed nominees for the chairman and members of the Assembly Service Commission. Notable among them are Sampson Worlu as Chairman and Abinye Blessing Pepple, Mrs. Blessing Belema Derefaka, Mr. Gbaranen Robinson, and Madam Dorcas Amos as members.
The Assembly had previously passed the Rivers State Assembly Service Commission (Amendment) Bill into law on March 22, 2024, thereby granting itself the authority to appoint the commission’s chairman and members.
Efforts to obtain a response from the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Joseph Johnson, were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report, as he did not respond to calls, texts, or WhatsApp messages.
