Rivers State Assembly Requests INEC to Conduct Bye-Elections Amid Political Tensions

The Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Martin Amaewhule, has formally asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to organize bye-elections to fill four vacant seats in the state legislature. The request followed a resolution passed during the assembly’s session on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, and adds a new chapter to the ongoing political power struggle between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the former governor, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

In a letter addressed to INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Amaewhule explained that the vacancies resulted from the absence of four lawmakers loyal to Governor Fubara from legislative duties over an extended period. The letter, dated October 15, 2024, highlighted the seats of representatives from Ahoada East Constituency II, Opobo Constituency, Bonny Constituency, and Ahoada West Constituency as now being vacant.

The letter read, “At the 56th Legislative Day of the second session of the 10th Rivers State House of Assembly, the seat of the member-Ahoada East Constituency II in the Rivers State House of Assembly was declared vacant in line with sections 109(1) and (f).” It noted that Hon. Edison Ogerenye Ehie, who previously represented Ahoada East Constituency II, had transitioned to an executive role as Chief of Staff in the Government House, Port Harcourt, since January 29, 2024.

Amaewhule also clarified that Hon. Adolphus Timothy Oruibienimigba (Opobo Constituency), Hon. Victor Oko Jumbo (Bonny Constituency), and Hon. Sokari Goodboy Sokari (Ahoada West Constituency) had been absent from legislative sessions for nearly a year. He emphasized that their absence violated the 1999 Constitution, which requires lawmakers to attend at least one-third of the total legislative days in a year. “The total number of consecutive days of absence so far from legislative sittings/meetings is 152,” he stated, urging INEC to “conduct elections to fill the vacancies so that Rivers people in these constituencies can once again have representation in the House.”

However, the development has sparked criticism from Joseph Johnson, Rivers State’s Commissioner for Information and Communications. Johnson argued that Amaewhule and his allies had no right to declare the seats vacant, claiming that they had lost their own positions after defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). He criticized their actions as contradictory, stating, “If they have suspended them, I have not seen any proof that they recalled them. So, if you didn’t recall somebody that you suspended from work, how can you say the person has not come to work and now you’re declaring the person’s seat vacant?”

Johnson also emphasized that Victor Oko-Jumbo remains the legitimate Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly. He further challenged Amaewhule to resolve his own legal issues related to his defection. “Amaewhule should go and face his matter before the Court of Appeal on his defection, which violated Section 109(1)(g) of the Constitution. If they are anything close to honourable members, he should maintain it,” Johnson added.

Meanwhile, the Oko-Jumbo-led assembly has taken a firm stance, pledging to invoke constitutional provisions against 25 members loyal to Wike. During a session on Wednesday, the Leader of the House, Sokari, presented a motion urging the assembly to address what he described as Amaewhule’s undermining actions. Sokari stated, “The Amaewhule-led lawmakers, by their actions, have continued to undermine the integrity of the assembly and violated Section 99 of the Constitution.” He called on the assembly to hold the defected members accountable for their actions.

Orubienimigha, in support of the motion, called for immediate action against the former members to ensure they face the legal consequences. He argued that such measures were necessary to maintain the integrity of the assembly and the state’s legislative process.

Adding to the complexity of the situation, the Oko-Jumbo-led assembly criticized INEC for not organizing bye-elections for the vacant seats since December 2023. During its 64th legislative session on Wednesday, the assembly approved Governor Fubara’s request to appoint five special advisers to accelerate state development.