Rivers Assembly Extends RSIEC Chairman’s Invitation By 72 Hours

The Rivers State House of Assembly has again on Friday, at its 132nd Legislative Sitting, resolved to give another opportunity to the Chairman and Commissioners of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission to appear before the House to explain the Commission’s actions and inactions in the purported conduct of the ill-starred 5th October, 2024 Local Government Elections in the State, unbudgeted expenditures, and to further furnish the House where the commission expects to generate funds to conduct its proposed election.

The House reached the resolution after the Leader of the House, Hon. Major Jack, under statement by the Leader, informed the House that the letters inviting the Chairman and Commissioners of the Commission and the ones calling the attention of Governor Siminialayi Fubara to present the 2025 Appropriation Bill, and his infractions on the Constitution were duly delivered and publicised; but regretted that neither the Governor nor the Chairman and his Commissioners honoured the call.

Debating on the information, Members spoke glowingly of the integrity of the Chairman, Justice Adolphus Enebeli, being a retired Judge of the Rivers State High Court, and urged the House to give him another opportunity to appear before the House.

Commenting on the information before putting the question, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule, said the House has taken Legislative notice of the refusal of Governor Fubara to present the 2025 Appropriation Bill, and the submission of the list of Commissioner nominees to the House; adding that the House will address it squarely at the appropriate time.

When the Speaker put the question, the House voted in the affirmative, directing the Clerk of the House to again invite the Chairman and Commissioners of the Commission to appear before the House on Monday, 10th March, 2025; emphasizing that the House will have no other option than to invoke the spirit and letters of Section 129 (1) (d) of the Constitution, if the Chairman and his Commissioners fail to appear before the House on Monday.

Earlier, Hon. Major Jack had, with the leave of Mr. Speaker presented the Certified True Copy of the recent Judgement of the Supreme Court on the State political logjam to the House for records.

Rivers Assembly Extends RSIEC Chairman’s Invitation By 72 Hours is first published on The Whistler Newspaper