Fubara makes fresh appointments amid fight with lawmakers

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has made four new appointments amid the State House Assembly voting to override him to pass four new bills into law.

The governor on Friday appointed Goodlife Ben as the Acting Chairman, Local Government Service Commission, Tonte Davies as the Acting Administrator of New Cities Development Authority, NCDA, and Ine Briggs as the Acting Director General, Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP.

In a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Tammy Danagogo, the governor said the appointments take immediate effect.

On Friday, the Martins Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly voted to override Governor Siminalayi Fubara and pass four new bills into law.

The bills include the Rivers Local Government Amendment Law, the Rivers State Traditional Rulers Amendment Law, the Rivers State Advertisement and Use of State-Owned Property Prohibition repeal law, and the Rivers State Funds Management and Financial Autonomy Law.

The House decided on Friday during plenary after Amaewhule read four letters addressed to him by the governor, wherein he declined his assent to the four new bills which had been sent to him for assent.

According to the House, its decision relies on Section 100 subsection 5 of the constitution, which said the assent of the governor is not required for the passage of the bills into law.

The house stated that where the governor withholds assent and the bill is again passed by two-thirds majority of the House, the bill shall become a law and the assent of the governor shall not be required.

Amaewhule further accused the governor of having no plans of conducting local government elections in the state.

This is coming 24 hours after the Supreme Court upheld the election of Governor Fubara.

The assembly, led by Amaewhule comprises 27 members who are loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Four members of the State Assembly, formerly led by Edison Ehie, who has now resigned as Speaker and member representing Ahoada East Constituency 2, are loyal to the governor.

President Bola Tinubu had waded into the political crisis in the state, which is predicated on the rift between Fubara and Wike.

The intervention of the President had led the concerned parties in the crisis to sign an eight-point resolution (peace accord) to end the crisis.