Rivers: One Assembly, two speakers, multiple battlefronts

The emergence of factional Speakers to carry out legislative business in Rivers State House of Assembly, including review of Appropriation Bill, signposts a state in disarray and governance on the edge, ANN GODWIN reports.

The disagreement between the Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, political godfather and now Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, appears not to be winding down anytime soon, despite the peace brokered by President Bola Tinubu.

Rivers State was plunged into political crisis between October 29 and 30, this year, when the hallowed chamber of the House of Assembly was burnt, following alleged moves to impeach Fubara. That consequently led to the emergence of two factional speakers – Matins Amaehule, who is loyal to Wike; and Edison Ehie, a strong supporter of Fubara.

Fubara returned to the state after the peace meeting in Abuja with the President and apologised for the anxiety sequel to the crisis, assuring that he was ready to embrace the path of lasting peace to advance progress and development of the state.

He appeared remorseful while Wike also insisted that there is no bad blood between them. But his words have left many suspicious.

Recently, at a book launch in Port Harcourt, Wike said: “Let nobody deceive you, if I say there would be problems, there would be. I do not need to win. When you want to make peace, open your door so that when you make the peace, it will follow you.”

It was in the same vein that Mr President has also intervened to broker lasting peace among the gladiators.

But the mediation only postponed the evil days, as there is still factional leadership in the Assembly allegedly carrying on legislative business, with alleged threats to life and assassination attempts on Ehie. Consequently, the festering crisis is driving the state to the precipice.

Ehie’s residence was allegedly invaded and attacked by suspected gunmen penultimate week. Ehie, while confirming the attack, noted that the hoodlums were led by a senior Police officer in the state, who allegedly ordered the gunmen to shoot sporadically in his residence.

Accordingly, the factional lawmakers have continued to have separate sittings in different locations.

The Ehie-led faction, at its meeting in an unknown location last week, passed a vote of confidence on Fubara, declaring to ‘swim or float’ with him. They vowed to continuously give the governor the required support to accomplish his consolidation and continuity agenda to benefit the state, stressing that “one man cannot cage the state.”

On their part, about 24 out of 32 lawmakers, led by Amaehule, who also sat separately last week, reportedly deliberated on two items concerning the suspension of the strike by the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PSAN). They tasked the newly deployed Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, to investigate the explosion that razed parts of the Assembly Chamber and destroyed several properties.

Meanwhile, 122 youths groups, under the aegis of National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), led by Chijioke Ihunwo, who were arrested and arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Port Harcourt for allegedly protesting and trying to gain entrance into Amaehule’s residence at Forces Avenue, Old GRA, Port Harcourt, have been granted bail in the sum of N100,000 and one surety each for the total defendants, while the case was adjourned to December 5, for trial.

Effects of crisis to governance
FUBARA recently commissioned two world-class hospitals in the state, the remodelled Dental, Maxillofacial, Ophthalmology Hospital and the Kelsey Harrison Hospital aimed at improving the healthcare of the people.

At the ceremony, the governor said his administration was partnering with the Bank of Industry (BoI) to invest a N4 billion facility to drive sustainable economic opportunities in the state.

It is, however, glaring that governance is languishing, and development is at a ridiculous slow pace without much to show for progress.

The governor is struggling to push forth his administration’s plans. For instance, after his visit to the Songhai Farm, which was intended to revamp the farm and boost food productions, create employment opportunities for teeming youths and tame insecurity, nothing has been heard of the bold step.

Before the crisis blew open, sources close to Government House said Wike, who handpicked Fubara, was against revamping the farm, which was started by ex-governor Rotimi Amaechi. It was also learnt that some of the issues around the crisis include Wike’s alleged influence on Fubara’s programmes and policies that could impact positively on the people.

Yet statewide, there is high apprehension over growing insecurity. Investors are anxious with attendant job losses. Disharmony in the House of Assembly, to carry out legislative business and oversight functions, among others, has also opened a new vista of uncertainties.

Speaking on the development, a public affairs analyst and Lecturer in the Department of Political Science, University of Port Harcourt, Dr Obinna Nwodim, agreed that the crisis was negatively affecting governance in the state, saying where there is crisis, there will be a problem in the smooth running of the system.

He said: “The crisis is affecting governance negatively, as failure of a harmonised House of Assembly to sit, discuss and carry out its oversight functions is a grave negative situation in democracy.

“In terms of the Appropriation Bill, for every kobo the government spends, the legislature has to make approval of it. We have a few weeks to the end of the year and the government should be preparing for another fiscal year and all that. It is not possible for the government to function properly, financially, without a legislature.

“So, when you put all these and many more together, you will find out that the crisis portends a very negative trend in the governance of the state, particularly for this government that is just a few months old.”

According to him: “This administration was to run out the policies and programmes of previous government, and then start its ideas and philosophy. Though they talked about consolidation when they were doing their campaigns and all that, this government is expected to start on a clean slate next year.

“This is supposed to be the best time for the government to plan its programmes to balance the year his administration is going to remain in office, but with the present situation, the governor is still battling for survival and governance is suffering.”

Nwodim urged the principal actors in the drama to put the interest of the state at heart and drive development.

An elder statesman and former spokesman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Anabs Sara-Igbe, said the Speaker backed by the governor is the authentic Speaker, recalling that a court had granted an injunction stopping Amahwule from carrying out legislative activities.

“The Speaker that will make laws for the governor to assent is the right Speaker. So, if the governor has recognised Ehie as the Speaker, no man can change it.

“The whole crisis has affected the governance in the state. The entire process of governance has been slow, and a lot of things are going wrong. The situation has brought insecurity, recent attack on the Speaker is an example of that,” he stated.

Sara-Igbe, however, urged Wike to allow Fubara to discharge his responsibilities as governor, adding: “Nobody gave him problems when he was the governor.”

Another policy analyst and Executive Director of Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, said the existence of two factional speakers in the House of Assembly was grossly affecting governance in the state.

He stated: “The ugly situation is affecting the roles of the legislative arm of government, which include lawmaking and oversight functions for the good governance of the state. As such, while other states are already presenting their 2024 Appropriation Bill before their state Assemblies, the situation in Rivers State would not allow that to happen, as supposed and timely too.

“Thus, the state is in for the worst days of the negative impacts of the political crisis ahead of 2024, with the ordinary people of Rivers State bearing the brunt more.

“Besides, the impact of the arson at the Assembly and the fact that one would have expected its renovation for normal legislative business to commence, but which has not happened, is another challenge affecting the governance of the state.

“This is because no meaningful legislative activities can go on in a dilapidated Assembly that is not conducive, despite it being used by the two factions to sharpen their egos.”

In addition, Fyneface said for the two factional speakers to still be laying claims to their positions means that Tinubu’s intervention in the crisis did not work, saying that the crisis still rages is an indication that both parties to the crisis were disrespecting the President and totally disregarding his intervention.

He noted: “It is like telling him to ‘stay away from Rivers’ politics.’ The fact that peace has not reigned between Fubara and Wike, as demonstrated by the activities of their foot soldiers in the Assembly, points to the fact that more hard times await Fubara at the expense of governance in the state.”

Fyneface urged the warring parties to sheathe their swords, allow peace to reign in the state and face governance for which they were elected and appointed, respectively.

WHILE the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) said the political upheaval in the state was increasing poverty, insecurity and distracting the governor, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Warisenibo Joe Johnson, argued that Fubara was very focused in delivering dividends of democracy to the people and never distracted by anything whatsoever.

He said: “We just commissioned two world-class hospitals. A lot of developmental projects are going on and a lot are lined up. The governor is up and doing.

“We have four Bills that are intended to address the issues of power generation and investment promotion agency, and more are online. The government of Fubara is well focused. We have executed a reasonable percentage of what he has on his blueprint.”

However, while other states are working and passing the Appropriation Bill for another fiscal year, all eyes are on Rivers State to see how it will pull through with only eight lawmakers out of 32 supporting the governor.