Federal lawmakers: How Wike’s faction breached peace accord

The Coalition of opposition lawmakers in the 10th National Assembly has accused Rivers state assembly members loyal to the minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, of allegedly breaching the peace accord brokered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the political crisis in the state.

The coalition, in a statement by its spokesperson, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo state), frowned at the recent statement by the Martin Amaewhule-led 27 members of Rivers assembly accusing Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers, of committing impeachable offences, among other infractions.

The coalition stated that since their defection to APC, the state assembly members have been trying to destabilise the government of Fubara and breaching the Presidential Peace Accord by illegally amending and repealing laws that are of no relevance to alleviating the persisting economic challenges in the state.

According to the coalition, the supposed state lawmakers have amended several laws, even when they are still not lawmakers “in the eyes of the law”.

The opposition lawmakers said, “For months now Amaewhule and his cohorts have been entangled in unconstitutionality, in their selfish bid to destablize the administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and satisfy the whims and caprices of one man.

“In January, the lawmakers overrode the decision of the governor not to approve four bills earlier passed by the assembly. The governor had withheld his assent rightly stating that such amendments would create confusion and breach constituted laws. The four bills were the Rivers State Local Government Law (Amendment) Bill; Rivers State Traditional Rulers’ Law (Amendment) Bill; Rivers State Advertisement and Use of State-owned Property Prohibition (Repeal) Bill and Rivers State House of Assembly Fund Management Bill.

“The Rivers house of assembly recently again override the decision of Siminalayi Fubara, governor of the state, not to assent to some bills. Martin Amaewhule illegally led house, enacted the Rivers state house of assembly service commission bill. Amaewhule and his cohorts are on a spree of amending several laws, even when they are still not lawmakers in the eyes of the law. This is in reference to Section 109(1g) of the 1999 Constitution as amended. So it’s laughable for the supposed lawmakers to assume that such laws can take a retrospective effect.”