Oko-Jumbo Assembly counters Amaewhule, declares faction illegal

The Rivers State House of Assembly led by Victor Oko-Jumbo, has dismissed the resolution by the Martin Amaewhule-led House, suspending all expenditures of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The Speaker, Victor Oko-Jumbo stated this in his opening remark during plenary on Tuesday.
He said what Amaewhule and 24 others whom he described as former members of the House did, was unfounded and illegal.
Oko-Jumbo argued that the group had no legal capacity or moral basis, to prevent the governor from spending public funds.
He insisted that Amaewhule and 24 others are not members of the Assembly, following their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC, in December 2023.
The factional speaker stated that the Assembly led by him, is the legally recognised section, which of course manages the statutory allocation of the house.
Oko-Jumbo explained that Governor Fubara had duly presented the said appropriation bill to the house when Edison Ehie was the speaker and that same was passed and signed into law.
He said the house is awaiting the presentation of the medium-term expenditure framework ahead of the 2025 fiscal year.
He urged the public to ignore the Amaewhule pronouncement and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to without delay conduct the bye-election to fill the 25 vacant seats in the house.
TVN recalls that on Monday, the Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly, during plenary on Monday, announced the shutdown of all expenditures until Governor Siminalayi Fubara presents his budget before the House.
Oko-Jumbo Assembly counters Amaewhule, declares faction illegal