Dep Speaker Harps On Rule Of Law

This is indeed a dry season for Journalists who cover the Rivers State House of Assembly more so as the House has adjourned Sine Die. But for Journalists under obligation to report activities of the State lawmakers, it has been a case of squeezing water out of  rock. The situation is not made any easier by the crisis within the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the State, which has a majority of the members.  The fact that members of the House  are currently involved in three different suits in the court, and the allegation of insecurity by 27 of the 32 members, which had seen most of the members literarily going underground has ostensibly shifted all attention from legislative matters to court proceedings. But for the occasional activities of some key office holders among the members, by virtue of their positions, and the court proceedings, there would have been nothing to report.
It is therefore not surprising that only two events involving the lawmakers took place last week. Coincidentally, both events took place on Tuesday. The first was at the High Court in Port Harcourt presided over by Justice George Omereji, who granted independent representation to five lawmakers. The other was in the office of   the Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Leyii Kwanee, who played host to a delegation of the Law Graduates Forum (LGF) of Rivers State.
The suit filed by the five lawmakers was a sequel to another filed by the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, asking the court to stop the Assembly, represented by its Speaker, Rt. Hon. Otelemaba Dan-Amachree, from impeaching him unlawfully. Delivering the judgment which lasted for over thirty minutes Justice Omereji noted that since counsels to the plaintiff and the defendants were not opposed to the suit filed by the counsel to the five lawmakers, the court has no option than to grant their quest for independent representation, saying that the five lawmakers have the fundamental right to be independent of the other 27 lawmakers. Following the judgment, counsel to the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Beluolisa Nwofor (SAN), argued that since all processes and responses had been filed, it would be expedient for the court to adopt them and go ahead to hear the injunction.  But counsel to the five lawmakers, Mr. Dike Udenna, insisted that the originating summons must be re-filed, and Justice Omereji adopted Udenna’s argument. Udenna also countered that he should be served the re-filed suit and allowed 21 days to respond in accordance with the rules of the court. Omereji, therefore, adjourned the matter to July 25, 2013 for hearing.
During their courtesy visit on the Deputy Speaker, President of the LGF, Mazi Augustine Nnaemeka, said the visit was to register their support for the present administration in the state for the Governor’s ability to defend the ideals of democracy, good governance, rule of law and justice in the state under what they christened the “prevailing challenging state of affairs”. They also appealed to him to use his good offices to facilitate the payment of their bursary. Hon. Kwanee used the opportunity to stress the need for politicians in the state to always adhere to the Rule of Law, saying that only strict compliance to it would avert chaos and breakdown of law and order in the prevailing political challenges in the State.
He cited the crisis within the State PDP as a case in which the anti-Amaechi faction had thrown overboard the tenets of the Rule of Law, saying that chaos was averted because the Rivers State House of Assembly insisted on the Rule of law in tackling the challenges.
The Deputy Speaker specifically recalled that the State Police Command acted ultra vires when it disobeyed a court order to vacate Obio/Akpor Local Government Council premises. He charged them to ensure that they mobilise sufficient support for the Rule of Law to be obeyed.