The Rivers State Government has accused the State House of Assembly of deliberately obstructing Governor Siminalayi Fubara from implementing the recent Supreme Court judgment affecting the state’s governance structure.
Speaking at a press conference in Port Harcourt on Monday, the state Commissioner for Information, Joseph Johnson, insisted that Governor Fubara remains committed to implementing the court’s ruling, despite its unfavourable implications for his administration.
The latest statement from the Rivers State Government follows an escalation of tensions between the executive and legislative arms of government.
CANDID REPORTERS recalls on Monday that the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, accused Governor Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, of gross misconduct.
The lawmakers, loyal to Fubara’s estranged political ally and former governor, Nyesom Wike, have forwarded a formal notice of the allegations to the Governor and his deputy.
Despite the political crisis, Governor Fubara has maintained his stance on implementing the Supreme Court judgment, which reaffirmed the powers of the state government in critical governance matters.
Johnson stated that the Assembly has consistently refused to acknowledge correspondences from the governor, despite multiple attempts to engage with them.
He cited video evidence showing the government’s efforts to deliver official documents, which he said were deliberately ignored by the lawmakers.
Johnson further revealed that some of these correspondences had been made public through national newspapers.
He explained that the government cannot provide acknowledgment copies of the letters as challenged by Alabo-George because the documents were never received by the Assembly in the first place.
On the latest accusations of gross misconduct against the governor and his deputy, the commissioner said the executive arm was yet to receive any correspondence from the State Assembly.
He restated that Fubara has always been committed to peace and has demonstrated this by complying with a court ruling directing the transition of power from elected local government chairmen to Heads of Local Government Administrations.
He said the governor also indicated interest to implement the rest of the directives by the apex bank as soon as he receives the Certified True Copy of the judgment.
He said the Assembly, however, responded with hostility, by issuing ultimatums to the governor and the state electoral commission.
He described this move as a deliberate ploy to cause chaos and claimed that legal experts had also questioned its legitimacy.
Johnson also criticised the Assembly’s recent call for a probe into the Chief Judge, stating that their latest actions showed that their priorities were not in the interest of the state.
He said that the lawmakers’ actions from the onset had been self-serving, rather than focused on governance and the well-being of Rivers residents.
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