GOVERNOR Siminalayi Fubara has assured the people of River State that there is no cause for concern over the Appeal Court ruling which reinstated 24 lawmakers earlier sacked by a lower court in the state.
While addressing reporters in the state on Friday, July 5, after inspecting projects in Khana Local Government Area, Fubara said he was not bothered about the decision.
He said he remained focused on delivering good governance in the state and would not allow anything to distract him.
“Government has its own challenges. If you go to the book of Psalm 23 verse 5, in the Bible, it says that God prepares a table before you; it can be before anybody. But there is an underlined word that should be noted here: it said ‘in the presence of your enemies’. So, it means that nothing comes easy.
“I want to assure every one of you and the good people of Rivers State that we are not deterred. We have made our promises, we will continue to give you good governance, no matter how difficult it is.
“But, like I said before, the worst is over. We are moving on to ensure that we continue to provide what is needed for the development of our state,” Fubara said.
Fubara highlighted agriculture, health, and education as the three priority areas of his administration .
The ICIR reported earlier today that the Rivers State House of Assembly members loyal to Fubara insisted on a bye-election to fill the “vacant seats” in the House.
They took the decision despite the Court of Appeal ruling that nullified the expulsion of the former Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, and 24 others.
The group, led by the factional speaker, Victor Oko-Jumbo, said it would challenge the Appeal Court’s decision on the Assembly crisis.
They called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to promptly conduct a bye-election to fill the ‘vacant’ seats in the House.
Following Fubara’s executive order in December 2023, the four-member legislators have been meeting at the Government House in Port Harcourt as a temporary chamber.
The Court of Appeal, Abuja, had on Thursday, July 4, nullified the expulsion of Amaewhule and 24 others from the Rivers State House of Assembly by the Rivers State High Court.
In the appeal, marked CA/PH/198/2024, the lawmakers who were sacked by a High Court judgement urged the appellate court to stay the execution of the court judgement.
They further prayed to the appellate court to invalidate all the legislative actions that have been taken by the Jumbo-led Rivers State House of Assembly.
Wike and Fubara have been at loggerheads over who controls the PDP structure in the state.
Though a PDP member, Wike serves in the government formed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the national level.
In its ruling on Thursday, the three-member panel of the Appeal Court, headed by Jimi Olukayode-Bada, held that the High Court lacked the jurisdiction to consider the suit, adding that such matters could only be heard and determined by a federal high court.
A reporter with the ICIR
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