The political crisis in Rivers State deepened on Tuesday as two rival House of Representatives caucuses squared off over the fallout from a controversial defection. One faction, led by Port Harcourt-born lawmaker Kingsley Chinda, supports the Wike-backed speaker, Martin Amaewhule, while the opposing group headed by Andoni lawmaker Awaji Abiante backs Governor Sim Fubara and the Fubara-supported House Speaker, Victor Oko-Jumbo.
The Chinda-led caucus, which includes a senator and several House members from the People’s Democratic Party, had earlier called on law enforcement to facilitate Amaewhule’s return to power, urging Governor Fubara to abide by a recent Supreme Court ruling. In response, the Abiante-led group denounced the visit as a deliberate attempt to mislead the public. They stressed that the defection of Amaewhule and 26 colleagues on December 11, 2023, automatically stripped them of their seats under the clear mandate of Nigerian constitutional law and numerous Supreme Court precedents.
Legal experts and political analysts, including noted commentator Sogboye Eli, have weighed in on the dispute, pointing out that the legal effect of defection is unequivocal. The Abiante caucus maintained that the ruling in FHC/ABJ/CS/1613/2023 does not alter the fact that those who defected have ceased to be members of the Rivers State House of Assembly. They accused the Chinda group of twisting court decisions and fabricating claims to revive the legitimacy of Amaewhule’s faction.
In a call for national intervention, the Abiante-led caucus urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Chief Justice of the Federation, and the Inspector General of Police, among others, to reject the misrepresentation of court rulings and to support the incumbent administration in upholding the rule of law in Rivers State.
Newspot Nigeria
Source: Business Day
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