Port Harcourt, Rivers state – Victor Oko-Jumbo, the new factional speaker of the Rivers state House of Assembly, has declared that all laws, plenary sessions and actions taken by some rebel lawmakers are ‘nullities in the eyes of the law’.
Oko-Jumbo, the member representing the Bonny constituency, made this declaration while speaking on the floor of the house on Wednesday, May 8.
In his acceptance speech, Oko-Jumbo expressed gratitude to the lawmakers who reportedly elected him as the new speaker following the resignation of Edison Ehie, the former occupier of that role. Ehie is the current chief of staff (CoS) to Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers state.
The new factional speaker asked the governor to desist from interacting with the 25 defected lawmakers “in whatever guise”.
Oko-Jumbo said:
It would be recalled that in December 2023, at least 25 members of the Rivers assembly left the PDP to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The lawmakers who are said to be loyal to Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), held a plenary session where the decision was taken amid tight security at the entrance of the assembly complex in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
Although the legislators said division within the PDP was the reason for exiting the party to APC, many political observers posit that it was connected to the rift between Fubara and Wike, his predecessor, over control of the political structure in the state.
TimesNow.com.ng earlier reported that Goodboy Sokari emerged as the new leader of the Rivers assembly.
He replaced Major Jack, the member representing Akuku Toru Constituency 1.
Source: TimesNow.com.ng
