The Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, has declared that lawmakers would rather resign en masse than continue in office as “toothless bulldogs” while alleged constitutional breaches persist in the state.
Amaewhule did not mince words, insisting the crisis was not a battle with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, but “between the governor and the constitution.”
“For his infractions on the constitution, they are clapping for him, rather than calling on the governor,” the Speaker thundered. “They are calling on our FCT minister… It is not FCT minister and the governor, it is the governor and the constitution.”
“The governor is a threat to our democracy. It is better we all resign and leave the governor and those he wants to defraud the people. We cannot continue to allow this to happen.”
Amaewhule didn’t stop there, questioning the role of the legislature under the current political storm:
“We sit here, elected people, and we cannot follow, we cannot enforce the constitution. Then why are we here? Why are we sitting here? Why were we elected?”
He fired another salvo:
“Let only the governor and the deputy governor spend as they like, and eat our money and do as they like. Why were we elected? Why do we have the legislature? Why can’t we be allowed to do our job?”
Earlier, the House read notices of gross misconduct against both Governor Fubara and Deputy Governor Ngozi Oduh, with 26 lawmakers endorsing the allegations. Amaewhule promised the impeachment process would go all the way.
“Distinguished colleagues, enough is enough… We will follow this impeachment process through,” he said.
The political heat comes amid earlier accusations against Fubara, including extra-budgetary spending, demolition of the Assembly complex, withholding funds from the Assembly Service Commission, and ignoring a Supreme Court order on legislative autonomy.
