Following Wednesday’ lifting of the six-month emergency rule in Rivers State by President Tinubu and subsequent restoration of democratic institutions, Governor Siminalayi Fubara and her deputy, Prof Ngozi Odu, failed to report for work yesterday.
However, the state house of assembly led by Mr Martin Amaewhule, resumed sitting and resolved to ask the governor to forward the appropriation bill and list of commissioner-nominees to the legislature for screening and confirmation in line with the Constitution.
A statement by the media aide to the speaker, Mr Martins Wachukwu, said: “Returning from a six-month emergency rule induced by the political impasse in the state in the recent past, the Rivers State House of Assembly, on Thursday (yesterday), at its 1st Legislative Sitting through a Motion set the legislative agenda for the remaining part of the Third Season of the Tenth Assembly.”
It said the House Leader, Major Jack, on behalf of eight co-sponsors, in a motion averred that the House considered it imperative to set the agenda to reflect current realities, while House members in their contributions to the debate on the motion, applauded the motion and expressed support for all the prayers therein.
“The House resolved to call on Governor Siminalayi Fubara to forward the list of commissioner-nominees to the House for screening and confirmation in line with the constitution and the terms of the peace parley.
“The House further called on the governor to commence the process of coming up with an appropriation bill to cover the remaining part of the year to address current realities; and ascertain what transpired in the last six months with regards to the award of contracts and expenditures from the state’s consolidated revenue fund,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Tonye Cole, said Fubara will be powerless when he returns to office.
He said in a television interview that Fubara would not be able to take decisions independently as governor because his authority will be limited.
“Starting from tomorrow (yesterday), the one thing that we are sure about is that the governor is not in a position to make any decisions,” he said.
He stated further: “We cannot be in a situation where we have an elected governor of a state, like Rivers State, which is a very critical state not just for the people of Rivers but Nigeria as a whole, and what you then see is that you have an elected governor that has zero powers. I don’t think it portends well at all.
“It’s extremely difficult, and I think the governor will be finding himself in a very difficult situation. First of all, the way politics has played out in Nigeria; almost every situation is that a governor, in leaving office, looks for somebody who he believes can continue whatever agenda they had moving forward.
“But time and time again, we find out that where the new governor or whoever has come in as governor is left alone to run his administration, then things progress.
“However, when such doesn’t happen…almost always we have ended up in this whole godfather-godson fight, and it’s never been good for democracy.
Cole advised Fubara to seek an understanding with the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, so that he can make some decisions as governor despite the circumstances.
“What I would do if I were him would be to now sit down with the honourable minister and appeal for some leeway to allow certain decisions to be taken by me as governor, and others to be taken by him, whatever peace agreement they had. The truth is that we do not know the details of that peace agreement, so I cannot tell the extent or the limits of the powers that he has now,” he added.
