The Rivers State House of Assembly has reinstated three lawmakers aligned with Governor Siminalayi Fubara after accepting their appeals and reversing its decision to declare their seats vacant.
The House voted on Monday, October 19, to allow Timothy Oruibienimigha of Opobo/Nkoro, Victor Oko-Jumbo of Bonny and Sokari Goodboy Sokari of Ahoada West to return to legislative duties.
The decision followed separate letters in which the lawmakers apologised for their absence from sittings. Speaker Martin Amaewhule asked them to resume sitting with their colleagues after members approved the reversal.
In a statement issued on Monday, the speaker’s media aide, Martins Wachukwu, said the three lawmakers maintained that they had not received correspondence informing them that their suspension had been lifted in December 2023.
According to the statement, Amaewhule said investigations indicated that they might not have received the notification.
The lawmakers were among four members suspended on October 30, 2023, during the political crisis that divided the legislature. The suspension was lifted on December 20, 2023, after a presidential intervention.
The Assembly later declared the three seats vacant on October 15, 2024, citing their continued absence from legislative business. It said it had notified the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct elections to fill the vacancies.
Monday’s vote came a day after Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike led lawmakers and the chairmen of Rivers State’s 23 local government areas to meet Fubara in Port Harcourt. NaijaTrend reported that meeting here.
Sources: Punch, Daily Trust, Premium Times
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