Politics
Legislators Lead March For Wike
Legislative proceedings continued in the House last week as the lawmakers sat to deliberate on State matters. It finally passed the Rivers State Assembly Service bill of 2018 into law.
During last Tuesday deliberations, majority of the lawmakers who voted in support of the bill stood for the view that the Office of the Clerk of the House be thrown open to those who are qualified to aspire.
According to them, the bill is to ensure that employees are to grow and contest for the office of the Clerk, but that does not stop others outside who aspire to be clerk to also seek appointment.
Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani said of the bill, “It’s our belief that every qualified staff of the Assembly should have a chance to contest or be appointed the Clerk”.
Before the passage of the bill last week, some members of the House, including members representing Obio/Akpor II, Hon. Michael Chinda has recommended a succession plan that will take into consideration the complexities involved in legislative process.
According o Hon. Chinda,the succession plan should stipulate the process of engaging the Clerk of the House. The Obio/Akpor Constituency II lawmaker insisted that possible successors to the office should be trained, at least for six months.
The argument put up by Hon. Chinda stems from the view that the legislature has a process and rule and therefore the office of the Clerk should be studied in the legislative process.
The view of Chinda was supported by Hon. Christian Ahiakwo representing Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area I, who held that the office of clerk should be re-engineered such that those who fill the position are well trained in legislative process.
Also last week, two legislators championing the ‘One Million Youth for Wike 2019′, Hon. Edison Ehie, and Hon. Major of Akuku-Toru led thousands of youths in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor on a sensitisation street-to-street parade to compel the State Governor to contest for 2019 elections.
However, penultimate week, Hon. Ahiakwo addressed protesters on the “End the Soot” campaign at the premises of the Assembly called on the federal government to intervene.
Ahiakwo who heads the House Committee on Environment stood in for the Speaker, saying that the soot problem was as a result of poor federal government attention to needs of the Niger Delta.
The lawmaker representing Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Constituency I said, “We cannot stop the soot when these issues are not brought to the fore. Money too should be borrowed to tackle the environmental problem in Nigeria”
Ahiakwo likened the neglect of Niger Delta and Rivers State by the Federal government as environmental terrorism.
In a statement on Saturday, the former Senate Leader stated that the allocation of nominees across states and geopolitical zones falls short of the constitutional requirement for fair representation in the composition of the Federal Government.
The ex-Senate Whip warned that allowing the list to pass could deepen ethnic suspicion at a time when the administration should be consolidating national unity.
He highlighted disparities in the spread of nominees, noting that while some states have three or four slots, others have none. He also cited the inclusion of Senator Adamu Garba Talba from Yobe, who reportedly died in July.
“The entire North-East states have seven nominees in the list. Further checks revealed that the South-West geo-political zone has 15 nominees, while North-West and South-East have 13 and 9, respectively.
“North-Central region has 10 nominees in the list of career and non-career ambassadorial nominee while South-South parades 12 nominees,” Senator Ndume said.
According to him, such imbalances could heighten tensions and undermine Section 14(3) of the Constitution.
“My sincere appeal to President Tinubu is to withdraw this list. At this critical juncture in his administration, he should avoid missteps that could undermine national unity and foster ethnic distrust.
“I know him to be a cosmopolitan leader who is at home with every segment and stakeholder in the country. He should withdraw that list and present a fresh set of nominees that will align with the spirit of the Constitution on the Federal Character Principle,” Senator Ndume added.
He accused the legislators of undermining the sanctity of the legislature and acting as instruments of destabilization.
“The members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have, by their actions since they assumed office, shown that they are political puppets and a clog in the wheels of democratic progress,” Comrade Ememobong stated, adding that “They will go down in history as enemies of democracy and those who made mockery of the legislature.”
“So the easiest way to describe their action is a defection from APC to APC,” he said.
Comrade Ememobong announced that the party would deploy constitutional provisions to reclaim its mandate from those who have “ignobly and surreptitiously” abandoned the platform on which they were elected.
“Consequently, the PDP will take legal steps to activate the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended) to recover the mandate gained under the banner of our party which these people have now switched to another platform,” he said.
He urged party members in Rivers State to remain calm and steadfast.
“We urge all party members in Rivers State to remain faithful and resolute, as efforts are underway to rebuild the party along the path of inclusiveness, fairness and equity,” Comrade Ememobong assured.
As the news of the defection of 17 members of Rivers State House of Assembly from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP )to the All Progressives Congress (APC) continue to make the rounds, a cross section of Rivers people who spoke to The Tide have expressed varying views regarding the development.
At Etche, a senior lecturer with the Rivers State University, who did not want his name in print, said even though defection was the right of politicians, peace and stability remained more fundamental than any action that could further challenge the fragile political situation in the state at the moment.
He also warned that the situation should not be used to witch-hunt any one, adding that the state had suffered enough and needed to be at peace.
In his reaction, Engr Polycarp Geoffrey said even though citizens and residents of the state had cause to be concerned about the decision of the lawmakers, there was nothing to worry about if it was done in good faith.
“I don’t think there is any big deal about it – defection is defection. But people are worried because of past events in the state. So, for me, I don’t see anything about it”, he said.
Engr Geoffrey also urged the Governor Siminalayi Fubara to also openly declare political affiliation in a bid to douse the political tension in the state and to provide clarity regarding his future political direction.
Another respondent, Mr Ebere Alex, alleged ulterior motive behind the law makers’ defection but urged both the law makers and the governor to work for the peace and development of the state.
However, speaking on the development, a chieftain of the PDP in the state, Hon Nname Ewor, told The Tide that said his party would reach out to the remaining lawmakers who have not defected.
He also denied an alleged internal squabble within the PDP, adding that there was no crisis in the party.
It would be recalled that 17 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly led by the Speaker, Rt Hon. Martin Amaewhule, during plenary last Friday, announced their migration from the PDP to the APC, citing internal party crisis.
Other members who also defected were the Deputy Speaker, Rt Hon. Dumle Maol, representing Gokana Constituency; House Leader, Hon. Major Jack, representing Akulga Constituency 1 and Deputy Leader, Hon. Linda Somiari-Stewart, representing Okrika Constituency; Hon. Solomon Wami, Port Harcourt Constituency 1 and Hon Granville Tekena Wellington representing Asari Toru Constituency 1; Hon. Ofiks Kagbang, representing Andoni Constituency; Hon. Peter Abbey representing Degema Constituency; Hon. Arnold Dennis representing Ogu/Bolo Constituency; Hon. Chimezie Nwankwor representing Etche Constituency 2 and Hon. Franklin Nwabochi representing Onelga Constituency 1.
The rest were, Hon. Azeru Opara, representing Port Harcourt Constituency 3; Hon. Smart Adoki representing Port Harcourt Constituency 2; Hon. Igwe Afforji ,Eleme Constituency and Hon. Lolo Opuende representing Akuku Toru Constituency 2.
By: John Bibor
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