SOME leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, on Sunday, May 12, carried out a solidarity protest to the House of Assembly Quarters in Port Harcourt, led by Desmond Akawor, Kingsley Chindah, Olaka Nwogu and Tony Okocha.
The protesters rejected the alleged plan of the state government to demolish the complex.
The marchers were received by Martins Amaehwule, factional Speaker of the Assembly loyal to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, who informed them of an alleged grand plot by Governor Siminalayi Fubara to demolish structures within the complex the same way he ordered the demolition of House of Assembly Complex along the Moscow Road in the state capital.
Amaehwule insisted that structures in the quarters were in excellent condition, fully functional and currently occupied by lawmakers and their family members, saying the lawmakers never invited the governor to visit the estate, which he said remained the property of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“Your visit is unusual visit; it shows that the good people of the state are concerned about what is happening. This facility is the facility of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“We have also brought in experts and engineers and there is nothing wrong with these structures; they are fully in use and fully functional. All the experts confirmed to us that this building is one of the best in the entire West Africa.
“This complex was constructed by Wike and inaugurated in August 2022 by the current Chief of Staff to Mr. President, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila. We are happy with the building and everything is working well.
“We didn’t write to the governor and we didn’t invite him. We didn’t ask for his help, because we don’t need it. We don’t need his intervention in any way. Any attempt to talk about reconstruction or demolition is clearly an assault on democracy and an assault on members resident in these buildings.
“The Rivers State Government is not the office of the governor; it comprises the legislature, executive and judiciary. The governor has no right to claim it as his personal property; it is the property of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“So, without an invitation to the governor, he has no right to break into our property,” he fumed.
While taking the leaders round the complex, Amaewhule reiterated that Fubara has no right to make any Executive Order directing lawmakers where to hold their sitting.
Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Kingsley Chinda, explained the purpose of their visit, saying they were worried about reports of another impending demolition of democratic institution and decided to assess the condition of the premises.
He said before their visit, they had already engaged experts to assess the integrity of the structures at the complex and their report showed that they would last for over 25 years, noting that the complex, built by Wike about two years ago, remained the best in Africa and even better than the national legislative quarters.
“Let me salute the speaker and members of the House. The assembly complex that was brought down, some leaders of the state went to United Sates (US) to get that design. When it was built, it was the best state assembly in this country. That structure is nowhere today.
“However, as members of the National Assembly from Rivers State, we have joined the leaders and elders of the state to discuss the issues happenings in our state, the latest being the threat to bring down the structures in this premises.
“We have commissioned engineers and experts to study and give us the report of the integrity of these structures. We have received the report, and the report says these structures have a lifespan of nothing less than 25 year.
“We have on our own come out to physically inspect the structures to crosscheck it with the report we received and these structures are still strong and healthy. Our apartments in the National Assembly are not better than what we have seen here.
“We should be proud that our state assembly occupies this quarters. It is easier to destroy than to build. The one we have destroyed, have we made any move to rebuild it? Let us know that public officers should be living examples in society, both in character and in conduct. Let us also caution that you must govern in line with the rule of law.
“We want to advise the governor to bridle a little bit at exuberance that we had seen within this period. It doesn’t portend well to our state.”
Chinda said the National Assembly was observing and monitoring the situation in Rivers and would soon take a decision in the collective interest of the state, adding: “We, members of the National Assembly, have not spoken; we have observed. But we cannot continue to fold our hands and watch our state fly. We are coming out and we will take position without looking at anybody.
“It will be a position that will be in the interests of the state. No one individual is larger than Rivers State. We are members, leaders and elders of Rivers and this state we must protect.”
Chairman of the Rivers Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Tony Okocha, commended the leaders and elders across party lines for defending democracy, saying it was a demonstration of the unity in the state.
Okocha said the 27 lawmakers remained members of Assembly and that the party (APC) would continue to protect them, adding: “This goes to show the world that Rivers people are united; we are one. The speaker had taken us round the premises and had given us the synopsis of what transpired when the governor, in a Gestapo manner, came with thugs to harass the inhabitants here.
“The 27 lawmakers are members of our party (APC) and we owe them the responsibility to protect and defend them. At every twist and turn, the governor attempts to see how he can curry political patronage by claiming that he supports Mr. President. It is not true; it is a fluke.
“As chairman of APC, Rivers State, I have taken a look at the details of voting in the past election and it is clear to me that the governor did not vote for Mr. President.”
