Edison Ehie: Clearing The Doubts

I read with rapt attention an article on page 17 of The Tide Newspaper of 25th March, 2024, captioned: ‘”Can Rivers Assembly Remove Governor’s Powers To Appoint Executive Officers?” written by no less a personality than one of Rivers State’s renowned lawmakers, politician and youth leader, Rt. Hon. Edison Ogaranya Ehie who is also the Chief of Staff, Rivers State Government House.
I am sure that the teeming supporters of the present  administration, as well as members of the Simplified family in the 23 local  government areas of the State including me, heaved a sigh of relief when the Chief of Staff used his legal expertise as a lawyer and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria to explain  through points of law, and citing precedence, the powers of the governor to appoint executive officers.
He did this to let the unsuspecting public know that the 27 pro-Wike lawmakers were simply doing the bidding of their  paymaster(s) without reason when they attempted to strip the governor of his constitutional powers, leading to the heating up of political tension in the state.
Evidently, their aim was to distract the present administration. It was, therefore, cheering that this matter, which gained a lot of traction, was finally put to rest. Now, we know and I say a big thank you to the Chief of Staff.
Be that as it may, there are yet a couple of concerns troubling the minds of well-meaning Rivers people. Among the many unsettling questions that have welled up in most discerning minds are:
1. Why heat up the political atmosphere of a state you were given mandate by your constituents to lead for your paymaster(s) selfish reasons?
2. Is it not fool hardy for any responsible person to put his one and only state on fire?
Recall that until the macabre dance of these lawmakers, they were useful. The question then is what went wrong?
It has become crystal clear that with Rt Hon. Edison Ehie’s treatise that Governor Sim Fubara is God sent to unite this State, a detribalised and 21st century leader with peaceful deposition who operates within the Constitution and the rule of law in tandem with civilised realities.
The truth must be told that no governor with executive powers like Sim Fubara in Nigeria and elsewhere can tolerate the shenanigans being perpetrated by the pro-Wike lawmakers led by Rt. Hon. Martin Amaehule in  Rivers State. It is a show of shame to even imagine that this set of lawmakers are bereft of the legal implications of their blunder in their inordinate quest to satisfy their godfather.
Though I stand to be corrected, I dare say that many of our lawmakers are lawyers. The question that arises then is: how come, were they not able to align their actions on this matter with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?
According to the submission of Rt Hon. Ehie, what the Rivers State House of Assembly, on Thursday, 15th February, 2024, did at its 109th legislative sitting, viz; the law passed concerning the Rivers State House of Assembly Service Commission (Amendment) Bill 2024, was after all a nullity.
It would be recalled that the embattled  lawmakers had earlier amended the law and sent to His Excellency, Sir Sim Fubara, for his assent. However, because the governor withheld his assent, the House decided to re-pass the bill into law after 30 days, on 22nd March, 2024.
Of course, Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie  supported his assertion by quoting relevant laws, cases and authorities to answer the burning matter and prove that the action by the pro-Wike lawmakers lacked the powers, legal and otherwise, to remove the power of appointment of the Chairman and members of the Rivers State of Assembly Service Commission from the Governor and vest same on themselves.
Contending that the provision in the Rivers State House of Assembly (Amendment) Law 2024 seeking to vest the power of appointment on the House of Assembly is in clear contravention of the 1999 Constitution and therefore a nullity in the eyes of the law.
This singular clarification by the Chief of Staff, Government House, makes me describe him as a round peg in a round hole. Rivers people and the teeming supporters of His Excellency through this publication of 25th March, 2024 now have a clearer and proper knowledge of the matter and affirm also from the case of Lord Denning that “if an act  is void, then, it is a nullity. It is not only bad but incurably bad. There is no order of Court to set it aside. It is automatically null and void without much ado”. You cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stay there, it will collapse.
Rivers people cannot be deceived any longer on this matter. Up or down, victory is assured for the administration of Sir Sim Fubara. He is the leader we need to take us to the next level and no amount of intimidation can deter him from building on the foundation laid by the founding fathers of our great Rivers State. No one man can be God to our people but the Almighty God alone will be our God forever, as far as our State is concerned.

Odinaka Osundu
Osundu, a media professional, writes from Port Harcourt.