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The amendment of Sections of the Law No. 5 of 2018 extending the tenure of elected Local Government chairmen in Rivers State by the Martin Amaehwule-led House of Assembly has been condemned by the spokesperson of Coalition of Opposition Lawmakers, Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere.
Ugochinyere, who represents Ideato North/South Federal Constituency of Imo State in the House of Representatives, in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, described the purported override of Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s veto by the State House of Assembly just a few days after it purportedly amended the law, as a recipe for chaos and breakdown of law and order and stands condemned, alleging that the law was never sent to the Governor for his assent in the first place.
He further said, “Assuming without conceding that the Rivers House of Assembly sent the law to the Governor, the Governor has 30 days within which to assent to the law or withhold his assent and it can only be at the expiration of the 30 days that the House of Assembly can adjudge that the Governor has withheld assent and not earlier.”
He described the move as legislative rascality and a coup against democracy, adding that it was dead on arrival.
“Illegally extending the tenure of Local Government Chairmen just few weeks to the expiration of their tenure is an abuse of legislative process that cannot be enforced. It is the height of legislative rascality and a coup against democracy that is dead on arrival,” the federal lawmaker stated.
The opposition’s Spokesperson further stated that the plot was a deliberate invitation to anarchy and an inglorious attempt by the Rivers lawmakers to sabotage the Presidential Peace Accord.
“These Rivers Assembly men are truly acting like people who do not hold the sacred mandate of the people. Otherwise, they should have known that this plot is a deliberate invitation to anarchy and an inglorious attempt to sabotage the Presidential Peace Accord. We hereby call on the President to call them to order to avert total breakdown of law and order in the State.”
Ugochinyere added, “How could the agenda of people who call themselves lawmakers in a state be to strip the Executive Governor of their state of all executive powers and they are comfortable with it? If they attach any value to the live of the people of Rivers State, they would support the Governor of Rivers State to succeed, for the benefit of the people rather than support anything that will undermine him and set him up for failure including instigating anarchy.
“Every reasonable and right thinking citizen of Rivers state should rally round the Governor to ensure he succeeds and bring the dividends of democracy to the people. The rate the Martin Amaehwule-led House of Assembly is moving and trying to ignite violence in Rivers State should tell the Police that they are most likely the persons who set the House of Assembly Complex ablaze and because they got out of it, are now willing to set the entire nation on fire.”
