The Rivers State House of Assembly has passed the Rivers State Local Government (Amendment) Bill into law, despite the state governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, withholding his assent. This move extends the tenures of the 23 council chairmen in the state.
Governor Fubara declined assent to the bill on March 13, 2024, after it was passed by the lawmakers and forwarded to him. However, during their 159th legislative sitting, the lawmakers invoked the powers of Section 100(5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which allows the house to override the governor’s decision.
The majority leader, Major Jack, represented the bill during the sitting, which prompted debates among the members of the house. With a two-thirds majority vote, the house agreed to override the governor and pass the bill into law.
This is not the first time the house of assembly has overridden the governor’s decision since the start of the political crisis in the state. The assembly, consisting of 27 members loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has been in a running battle with the governor due to his strained relationship with the minister.
Last month, the assembly even threatened to commence impeachment proceedings against the governor.
This latest action by the Rivers State House of Assembly underscores the ongoing power struggle between the lawmakers, Wike, and the governor, as well as the influence of external political figures in the state.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
