Days after the Supreme Court delivered judgement in favour of Hon. Martins Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly; there is uncertainty over the fate of pro-Governor Siminalayi Fubara faction led by Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo.
Barely 24 hours after the Supreme Court ruling, the Amaewhule-led House ordered Fubara to resubmit the 2025 budget for approval, and resubmit the names of commissioners and special advisers for screening.
The judgement automatically merges the two factions, and made joint sittings a necessity rather than the two sittings witnessed before the ruling.
On the other hand, Governor Fubara expressed his readiness to abide by the Supreme Court judgement, though the ruling runs contrary to the expectations of the people of the state, and called for peace.
One of the expectations of some observers is for the two factions, now a single Assembly led by Amaewhule, to jointly hold sessions in line with the ruling.
It was stated that this is needed to douse the tension caused by the crisis, which has divided the state and currently poses a threat to its economic wellbeing considering the threats being issued by Niger Delta agitators.
But more than a week after the Supreme Court ruling, only the Amaewhule-led Assembly has been sitting, throwing overboard issues that hitherto seemed resolved by Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo faction of the assembly.
According to an informed source, one of the reasons Oko-Jumbo and the other lawmakers in the pro Fubara camp are absent because “there are some deep-seated issues that have not been resolved among the lawmakers.”
He also said that the lawmakers in the factions “still feel that it is premature to forget about their differences because they are still awaiting another Supreme Court judgement on whether or not Amaewhule and 26 others defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) are still members of the assembly.”
However, amid threats of a likely impeachment of Governor Fubara by Amaewhule and 26 other lawmakers despite the outrage that has greeted the ultimatums issued to him, people are worried over the silence and absence of the Oko-Jumbo faction of the Assembly.
The 26 lawmakers have also faulted the moves by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to conduct new elections into the 23 local government areas in the state without the input of the Assembly.
RSIEC Chairman, Justice Adolphus Enebeli (rtd.), recently released the official timetable for the local government elections, and fixed August 9, 2025 for the polls.
He said that the collection and submission of nomination forms by political parties will take place from April 15 to May 10, 2025, while the screening of candidates will take place from May 15 to June 30, 2025, screening of candidates is slated for July 1 to August 7, 2025 along with electioneering campaigns, and August 9, 2025 was fixed for the elections.
Recall that the Supreme Court cancelled the local government elections conducted by RSIEC after months of dispute following the expiration of the tenure of the chairmen and councillors that were elected during the administration of former governor Nyesom Wike.
