The political crisis in Rivers State is fast approaching a blowout point. The two warring sides have dropped all pretences of following a peace accord.

The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has mandated the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, consisting mainly of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, carpet-crossers and supporters of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to serve Governor Siminalayi Fubara an impeachment notice.

Gov. Fubara has also declared the pro-Wike Assembly members as “non-existent”. This obviously stems from an earlier declaration by the pro-Fubara group, the Speaker Edison Ehie-led four-man members of the House in December 2023, of the vacancy of the 27 seats occupied by Wike’s men when they decamped to the APC last year.

However, following an intervention by President Bola Tinubu, the 27 members led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, were allowed to retain their seats while remaining APC members. There is also an injunction by Rivers State High Court judge, Justice WM Danagogo, barring the Amaewhule faction from using the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex pending the determination of the suit brought by the Ehie faction.

Meanwhile, Governor Fubara has firmly disregarded all legislative measures of the Amaewhule faction and has been starving all Wike’s elected and appointed political hand-maidens of funds.

The crisis has also acquired an ethnic hue, as all organs of the Ijaw nation as well as people who feel Fubara should be allowed to carry out his electoral mandate, are firmly behind the Governor against Wike’s deeply-entrenched political machinery.

This is no longer a free interplay of democratic forces. This is the digging-in for a major battle where the stronger will overwhelm the weaker. It should not be allowed to play out. The Constitution must be brought into play. President Tinubu’s marching orders for “peace” has obviously failed, mainly because of the seeming perception that it was packaged to heavily favour his party and Minister, Wike.

The seats of the Amaewhule group of carpet crossers were declared vacant by Speaker Ehie pursuant to Section 109(1)g of the 1999 Constitution as amended. The Amaewhule group must wait for the court to decide. On the other hand, it is absurd for four people to make laws for Rivers State which has a 32-seat House. They can’t even form a quorum. They, too, should wait for the court to decide the case they filed against their 27 colleagues.

We call on the National Assembly to take over the legislative functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly pending resolution of the House’s crisis according to the law. Any resort to self-help could destabilise the state and the country as a whole.

Governor Fubara must be allowed to do his work