By Ikuru Lizzy
Mr Martins Amaewhule, Speaker of the suspended Rivers House of Assembly has promised that he and his colleagues will comply with state of emergency declared on the state by President Bola Tinubu, though they didn’t pray for it.
”As an Assembly, we assure you all, our constituents that we would abide by this declaration even though it was not what we prayed for,” Amaewhule said in a statement in Port Harcourt on Friday while commending President Bola Tinubu on his decision to activate a state of emergency in Rivers.
According to Amaewhule, the declaration of the state of emergency was in the best interest of Rivers.
The Speaker also urged residents to cooperate with the newly deployed Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd).
Amaewhule’s remarks contained in a letter signed on behalf of the state Assembly to the constituencies read in part, ”On behalf of the Rivers House of Assembly, I write to draw your attention to the declaration of a state of emergency by the President in line with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
”The condition of our dear state today is mainly because of the malfeasance of the governor who serially disobeyed judgments and orders of courts, failed to govern the state in line with the oath of office and the Constitution.
”As an Assembly, we assure you all, our constituents that we would abide by this declaration even though it was not what we prayed for.
He, however, said that the President acted in the best interest of the country, and called on the constituents to remain calm as the Sole Administrator assumes duty.
Meanwhile, a chieftain of APC in Enugu State, Chief Hycienth Ngwu, has also declared support for the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers
Ngwu, a former South-East Publicity Secretary of the APC, said that President Tinubu in his right wisdom must have considered the strategic and economic importance of Rivers before arriving at the decision.
According to him, this Presidential timely and swift intervention deserves our standing ovation.
”Rivers is one of the strategic states economically in Nigeria. If the state is allowed to slide into full anarchy, it would have been an ill-wind for all Nigerians.
”This is a very good intervention. The state before the Presidential intervention was sliding into anarchy.
”The State House of Assembly complex was brazenly demolished and not rebuilt for several months. This is very unfortunate.
”The governor and the members of the House of Assembly who were all elected on the same day to provide good governance, secure lives and property of the residents of Rivers became alienated to their elective roles.”
Ngwu noted that the political impasse was gradually entering the judicial arm of government before the “thoughtful intervention”.
”I thank President Tinubu for coming to restore sanity and respect for constituted authority in the state,” he added.
President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, declared an emergency rule on Rivers and suspended the state governor, his deputy and the state 30 lawmakers for a period of six months.
Tinubu’s intervention comes after more than one year of political crisis in the state as well as recent heightened human and economic security threats.
(NAN)
