Eze said the lawmakers have voluntarily retired from the business of lawmaking since December 2023.
Former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party, nPDP, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze has sent a message to the Martin Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
He asked them to be circumspect in their struggle to return from political relegation as they are no longer lawmakers. Eze said the lawmakers have voluntarily retired from the business of lawmaking since December 2023.
Recall that Rivers State has been a theatre of war since Governor Siminalayi Fubara resolved to severe ties to his predecessor and now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
There are speculations that the 27 Lawmakers are preparing to commence impeachment proceedings against the governor.
Eze, however, noted that their defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC, has stripped them of the legitimacy to embark on any valid legislative business.
The APC chieftain noted that one of such instances the pro-Wike group has resorted to fighting the governor is a recent judgement of the Court of Appeal ordering Fubara to re-presents the 2024 appropriation bill to the Amaewhule led Assembly.
Eze noted that the appeal arose from the judgement of a Federal High Court which was given after Fubara through his Lawyers, on the orders of President Tinubu, withdrew all processes filed in defence of the suit brought by Amaewhule.
Recall that Tinubu’s directive was contained in a resolution reached after dialoguing with waring parties in the Rivers Political impasse.
The APC chief noted that the judgement of the Court which was upheld by the appellate court “was an usufruct of Wike’s impudent bluffing of President Tinubu’s directive.”
Eze further advised the Wike and his group to adopt the simple connotation which the verdict of the Court of Appeal in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/133/CS/2023, conveys, in their interpretation of the said judge.
In a statement issued on the backdrop of the gamut of interpretations that greeted the judgement by the pro-Wike group, in their renewed efforts to continually keep the state in crisis, Eze said the verdict did not touch on the vacancy or otherwise of the seats of the defected former Lawmakers who voluntarily yielded-up their positions upon their exit from PDP – the party on which platform they were elected into office, and whose seats were declared vacant on the 13th day of December, 2023 by the RT. Hon. Edison Ehie, then Speaker of the Assembly.
He said “Section 109(i) (g) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria is automatic and needs no judicial interpretation to take effect and called on the former Lawmakers to awake from the euphoria of the false narrative adopted and sold to them by their team of judgement interpreters whose exciting but vague interpretations cannot help their situation. ”
Eze said “given that Section 109(i) (g) takes automatic effect upon the defection of a member of a State House of Assembly, one would have loved to see the Court of Appeal oder a stay of proceedings on the matter to allow the determination of the question of whether or not the 27 former Lawmakers are still members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“Judicial officers especially Judges, must be wary of being inveigled into a situation in which they find themselves becoming partisan agents of wrongdoers in the pursuit of very selfish and anti-people vendettae.
“Although the Court of Appeal verdict does not restore the former Lawmakers to their lost seats, it has been exposed to ridicule particularly by the Wike group who are desperate to hold on to anything from the Court to assert themselves.
“Such situation, Eze said, could cause crisis and the Court would have considered the fragility of the political atmosphere in the state to be circumspect in their handling of sensitive situations such as this.
“Martins Amaewhule and his co-travellers are now hinging on the judgement of the Appeal court wrongly interpreted to them to assume that they have returned from their self-inflicted political relegation, so much so that they could muscle courage to go the extend of purportedly sitting to conduct legislative business when they have no such powers.”
Eze reminded those who, according to him seem lost in the euphoria of the ridiculous interpretation of the Court of Appeal judgement that “the question of whether or not the 27 former Lawmakers have not lost their seat by virtue of their defection, is still pending before the courts and untill the question is determined in their favour they remain former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and therefore lack the legitimacy to carry-on any legislative function for the state.”
He called on Amaewhule and company “to bury the thought of attempting to impeach the Governor as that will backfire on them”.
He counselled them “to be circumspect and mindful of the kind of orders they take from Wike,” stressing that the FCT Minister allegedly “does not mean well for the state and people should be careful not to make themselves willing tools in his hands to destroy the state.”