News just filtering in suggest that the Nigeria government may have moved to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State.
Sources say a military personnel may be named administrator in the state.
Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesome Wike and Governor Siminilayi Fubara have been at loggerhead since October 2023 when unknown persons set fire to the Assembly complex in Port Harcourt.
The crisis culminated in the defection of 27 lawmakers led by Martins Amaewhule from them Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress ( APC) the same month.
Angered by the development, Fubara and the PDP approached the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare the seats vacant and conduct fresh elections in the constituencies.
To resolve the crisis, President Tinubu in December 2023 met with the feuding parties at the State House, Abuja, where the parties reached a number of agreements, including the restoration of the lawmakers to their seats.
They also agreed to withdraw all cases in court.
Despite the president’s intervention, the crisis escalates with the parties trading blame on the collapse of the peace agreement.
Governor Fubara in December of the same year presented the 2024 budget to a four-member Assembly led by Edison Edie., now his Chief of Staff.
The Federal High Court, Abuja, in a judgement delivered in May 2024 restored the 27 lawmakers to their seats and declared Amaewhule as the authentic speaker of the Assembly.
The court also ordered the governor to re-present the 2024 budget to the Amaewhule led Assembly.
The ruling was upheld by the Court of Appeal, Abuja, in a judgement delivered in September last year.
Dissatisfied with the judgements, the state government approached the Supreme Court to set them aside.
In the ruling delivered on February 28, the apex court declared the Amaewhule-led Assembly as the authentic parliament in the state.
The court also ordered Fubara to re-present the 2024 and budgets to the Assembly.
It equally nullified the local government election held in the state in October last year.
The government has since fixed August 9 for fresh local council election in the state.
Source: Ripples Nigeria
