AMID the political crisis that led to the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the entire Rivers State House of Assembly, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has inaugurated an ad-hoc committee to take over legislative functions in the State.
The inauguration, held at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja on Tuesday, April 15, followed President Bola Tinubu’s March 18 proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
Tinubu, in his nationwide broadcast, invoked Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to justify the move and appointed Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, a retired vice admiral, as the state’s sole administrator.
Tinubu cited prolonged political instability in the state as the reason for his decision, vowing to restore governance, peace, and security to the oil-rich state.
The president also appointed retired Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas as the sole administrator to oversee the affairs of the state.
To fill the legislative vacuum, the Speaker constituted the emergency 21-man panel with representatives drawn from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
Addressing the panel on Tuesday, Abbas urged members to put aside partisan interests and focus on ensuring peace, governance, and stability in Rivers State.
“Your task is to oversee Rivers State following Mr President’s emergency proclamation.You must not be partisan or biased,” Abbas said.
The committee is chaired by the House Leader, Professor Julius Ihonvbere, with Ali Isah (PDP, Gombe) serving as deputy chairman.
Other members include Idris Wase, Aliyu Muktar, Sada Soli, Iduma Igariwey, Shehu Rijau, Wole Oke, Akara Hi Amadi, Patrick Umoh, Isa Anka and James Faleke.
The ICIR reports that this development followed the House of Representatives’ and the Senate resolution endorsing Tinubu’s emergency declaration.
During a plenary on March 20, lawmakers gave their backing via a voice vote after the president formally informed the National Assembly of his decision.
The lawmakers further agreed to authorise the formation of an ad hoc committee, with members from both chambers of the National Assembly, to oversee the situation in the state.
They also tasked Tinubu to review or terminate the state of emergency at any time, but no later than six months from now.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M