Amaewhule, 26 others now not lawmakers, Rivers Reps caucus insists

Rivers State caucus within the Home of Representatives have insisted that Martin Amaewhule and 26 different lawmakers loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike have misplaced their seats due to their defection from the Peoples’ Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

That is because the federal lawmakers stated Amaewhule and his colleagues must be ashamed of themselves for denying that they by no means defected, describing their motion as unlucky.

Whereas expressing their help for the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, they expressed dismay over the current go to of some members of the Nationwide Meeting to the pro-Wike Speaker (Amaewhule) to in keeping with him deceive Rivers individuals.

Chief of the Home of Consultant Caucus from the state and member representing Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro Federal Constituency within the Inexperienced Chamber, Awaji-Inombek Abiante, acknowledged this when he led a delegation on a solidarity go to to the Speaker of the State Home of Meeting, Victor Oko-Jumbo in Port Harcourt on Monday.

This got here barely a fortnight in the past after an analogous caucus within the Nationwide Meeting led by Senator Barinada Mpigi led a delegation on a solidarity go to to Amaewhule in Port Harcourt whereby he known as on Governor Siminalayi Fubara to obey extant courtroom judgements.

Abiante alleged that the Mpigi-led delegation willfully distorted the details about Justice James Omotosho’s judgment, saying the decide didn’t contact on the standing of Rt. Hon Martin Amaewhule and the opposite lawmakers who he described as a ‘committee of mates and former members of the Rivers State Home of Meeting;

He acknowledged, “Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule and 26 others had misplaced their seats within the Rivers State Home of Meeting following their voluntary defection/cross-carpeting which occurred on the ground of the Home of Meeting within the full glare of the general public on eleventh December 2023.”

Abiante who made reference to associated instances on the Supreme Court docket of Nigeria famous that the correct and solely interpretation to be given to the provisions of Part 109(1)(g) and Part 68(1)(g) of the Structure of the 1999 Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended is that “an elected lawmaker in Nigeria who after an election on the platform of a selected political occasion, defects to a different political occasion, robotically loses his seat within the affected legislative Home from the date of his or her defection.

“The pronouncements of the Supreme Court docket of Nigeria in these instances, having not been put aside nor overruled in any subsequent judgment of the Supreme Court docket, stay the legislation until date on problems with the election of a member of a legislative Home in Nigeria,” he acknowledged.

Abiante additional stated the authorized impact of those provisions and the Supreme Court docket judgments is that “as of eleventh December, 2023 when Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule learn out the letters of defection of himself and 26 others on the ground of the State Home of Meeting, they misplaced their seats and robotically and mandatorily turned former members of the Home”.

He stated the one authorized implication is that Amaewhule and the 26 others stay former members of the Rivers State Home of Meeting and accordingly are now not entitled to parade themselves as members of the Home or to partake in any enterprise or affair of the Home.

He acknowledged, “It’s worthy to notice that neither the actual fact of their defection nor any problem referring to their defection nor on their standing as former lawmakers of the Rivers State Home of Meeting was raised, submitted or mentioned within the proceedings resulting in the 22 January 2024 judgment of Hon Justice Omotosho.

“As a substitute of inserting earlier than the Federal Excessive Court docket, the reality and materials details about their standing as ex-lawmakers, to afford the Honourable Court docket a possibility of deciding on the true points, the claimants in that case (Hon Amaewhule and co) craftily invented lies and falsehood calculated to mislead the Honourable Court docket.”

On whether or not the Rivers State Home of Meeting as presently constituted can perform precise legislative features of the Home, Hon. Abiante referenced Justice Walter Onnoghen’s judgment on Plateau state whereby he dominated that “there isn’t a doubt that there existed within the Plateau State Home of Meeting 14 vacant seats because of cross carpeting.

“It’s my view that till the vacancies created by the carpet crossing members are stuffed by the method of the by-election, the Plateau State Home of Meeting can solely transact such legislative duties that require the participation of lower than 2/3 majority of ALL the members of that Home, which duties positively excludes impeachment proceedings”.

The Speaker of the State Home of Meeting, Victor Oko Jumbo lauded the caucus for the solidarity go to and promised that the Home would proceed to make legal guidelines for the betterment of the Rivers individuals, in addition to keep their help for Governor Fubara.

Oko-Jumbo acknowledged, “Thanks for standing in solidarity with the Rivers State Home of Meeting. Your go to has rekindled hope in us. The previous 27 lawmakers are gone. We now have an excessive amount of at stake to desert the ship.

“The Governor is just too targeted on delivering good governance to the individuals. We’ll proceed to face for what is true and our duties are to make legal guidelines for the betterment of our individuals. That’s our focus.”

He continued, “We’ll proceed to face on the rule of legislation. The Structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended can’t be modified as a result of 27 former lawmakers loyal to their godfather in Abuja determined to defect, which after all was finished on their volition.”

Except for Hon. Abiante, different members of the Nationwide Meeting included the member representing Akuku-Toru/Asari-Toru Federal Constituency, Hon. Boma Goodhead, the member representing Ikwerre/Emohua Federal Constituency, Boniface Emerengwa.

Others are Anderson Allison Igbiks, representing Okrika/Ogu-Bolo Federal Constituency and Manuchim Umezurike who represents Port Harcourt Federal Constituency 1, within the Home of Representatives.