Rivers State Assembly Defies Governor, Passes Bill into Law

Rivers State Assembly Overrides Governor, Passes Four Bills into Law

In a decisive move, the Rivers State House of Assembly has overridden Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s refusal to assent to four crucial bills, passing them into law during a plenary session held at the House of Assembly Quarters on Friday, January 26.

Ejes Gist News that the lawmakers took this bold step after a voting process during the plenary session. The bills, now enacted into law, include

1. The Rivers Local Government Amendment Law
2. The Rivers State Traditional Rulers Amendment Law
3. The Rivers State Advertisement and Use of State Owned Property Prohibition repeal law
4. The Rivers State Funds Management and Financial Autonomy Law.

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Speaker Martin Amaewhule addressed the governor’s dissent, highlighting that Fubara had declined assent to the bills in four separate letters. Amaewhule justified the assembly’s action by citing Section 100 subsection 5, asserting that the governor’s assent is not required when a bill is passed again by a two-thirds majority after being initially withheld by the governor.

According to Leadership newspaper, Amaewhule accused Governor Fubara of lacking intentions to conduct local government elections in the state. The Speaker of rivers state assembly emphasized that the enacted law strips the governor of the power to appoint Caretaker Committee Chairmen for the Local Governments, alleging that Fubara objected due to the removal of this authority.

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In a related development, the Rivers assembly summoned nine former commissioners who had resigned from Governor Fubara’s cabinet to undergo fresh screening as commissioners.

Most of these ex-commissioners were known for their allegiance to former Governor Wike and had stepped down amid the power struggle between Fubara and Wike. They had previously served in Wike’s cabinet and retained similar portfolios in Fubara’s administration.