Hours after a court sitting in Rivers restrained 24 lawmakers from parading themselves as members of the Assembly, the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has approved relocation of the State Assembly to the Auditorium, Admin Block of the Government House, in Port Harcourt.
The temporary relocation was said to have been made through an executive order 001 issued by the governor, detailing reasons for the decision.
The document containing the order was released to newsmen by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Boniface Onyedi, on Friday.
This came amid court order that barred 24 lawmakers from parading themselves as members of the state assembly and ruled that the other lawmakers, who were on the side of the governor, remain the authentic members of the house.
The gazette dated December 14, 2023, cited the explosion recorded at the State Assembly on October 29, 2023, as the reason for the relocation.
In the order, the governor emphasized that current state of the chamber is unsafe and constitutes a threat to the lives of the staff and members of the Assembly.
Fubara added that it became necessary to carry out urgent repairs, renovation and reconstruction of the burnt and damaged chambers of the House of Assembly.
He explained that while the move to repair the damaged facility is ongoing, it is imperative and reasonable to ensure that the business of legislation is not hindered.
“Now, therefore, I, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, the Governor of Rivers State, this 30th Day of October 2023, under the powers vested in me under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, hereby issue, order and direct that all proceedings and business of the Rivers State House of Assembly shall temporarily take place at the auditorium, Admin Block, Government House, Port Harcourt, until the repairs, renovation and reconstruction of the chambers of Rivers State House of Assembly,” the order read.
The timing of the order’s release has raised anxieties among residents that the state development have been held in the Jugular.
