The Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, has overridden Governor Siminialayi Fubara’s assent on three critical bills.
However, Jerry Omatsogunwa, Special Assistant on Electronic Media to Governor Fubara, dismissed the lawmakers’ actions as insignificant, labeling them a “committee of friends.”
Omatsogunwa accused the legislators of acting against the state’s interests and questioned the practicality of their decision.
“This is not the first time they are overruling something, but I wonder who will enforce those overrulings in the end,” he said.
According to him, “I remember during the Muhammadu Buhari administration when he rejected the electoral bill twice, the National Assembly didn’t overrule him.
“They (National Assembly) went and did the right thing. So the earlier Martin Amaewhule and his committee of friends realise that Rivers people no longer take them seriously—and the earlier they know that they cannot make a U-turn or change the position of the goalpost while the game is on—the better for them.”
“For me, they are just like little children shaking the coconut tree. They think they are shaking the tree, but they end up shaking their own heads.
“They are not working for the Rivers people. I also see them as working against the Rivers people,” Fubara’s media aide added.
The bills—Rivers State Education (Return of Schools) (Amendment) Bill, Rivers Electricity Market Bill, and Rivers State Commissions of Inquiry Bill, 2024—were passed by the House a month ago and sent to the governor for assent.
Governor Fubara withheld his approval, prompting the Assembly to invoke its constitutional authority under Section 100(5) of the 1999 Constitution to override his decision during Thursday’s session.
Majority Leader Major Jack reintroduced the bills for debate, and members unanimously voted to override the governor.
Speaking on the development, Speaker Amaewhule accused Fubara of obstructing progress through “indolence and ineptitude,” emphasising the Assembly’s commitment to moving the state forward.
In a statement released by the Speaker’s media aide, Martins Wachukwu, Amaewhule criticised the governor for allegedly portraying himself as above the Constitution and other state laws.
The Speaker explained that the House remains committed to upholding the Constitution and democratic principles.
He noted that, under Section 100(5) of the Constitution, the laws in question are now in effect in Rivers State.