G-60 federal lawmakers declare 27 assemblymen lack legitimacy to veto Fubara

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara (middle).

A group of 60 (G-60) Federal Lawmakers has declared that the group of 27 individuals who claim to be members of the Rivers State House of Assembly are illegitimate, having ceased to exist since December last year. The G-60’s response came after the purported overriding of the assent of Governor Siminialayi Fubara to enact the Rivers State Public Procurement (Amendment) Bill 2024.

In a statement signed by G-60 Spokesperson and the member representing Ideato North South Federal Constituency of Imo State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the group criticized the so-called Rivers State lawmakers, stating that their attempted veto of Governor Fubara’s powers was “legislative madness taken too far by some clowns.”

Ugochinyere noted that these individuals operate from a two-room self-contained space in Emohua and Abuja, and their continued freedom is due to Governor Fubara’s mercy and adherence to a peace accord orchestrated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to end political crises in Rivers State. The G-60 spokesperson added that while Governor Fubara has adhered to the accord, Chief Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, has not, as evidenced by the actions of his loyalists.

Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere is the spokesperson of the G-60.

“These people as far as we are concerned are still moving about freely parading themselves because of Governor Fubara’s mercy and largely in obedience to the peace accord brokered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to end the political crisis in the state,” Ugochinyere said. He added that the so-called veto of the procurement law is “an unenforceable legislative madness by impostors” who are threatened by Fubara’s infrastructure revolution.

Ugochinyere highlighted that these individuals had lost their status as lawmakers when they defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), violating Section 109(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct elections to fill the vacant seats and end the ongoing illegitimacy and embarrassment.

The G-60 reiterated that the purported veto by the so-called Rivers State House of Assembly is invalid and should not be enforced. They criticized the illegitimate lawmakers’ claims, suggesting that Governor Fubara’s restraint is out of respect for President Tinubu’s peace accord and his commitment to promoting peace for the development of Rivers State.

Recall that Governor Fubara had on Monday said that the Amaewhule-led State House of Assembly does not exist. According to the governor, the lawmakers’ seats became vacant after they defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The governor explained that he had acted like the big brother in the crisis, not interested in destroying the House so that meaningful development could continue to be engendered in the state while securing a tenable political relationship.