Concerns grow as Rivers lawmakers halt legislative activity

Three months after the Rivers State House of Assembly sat to screen eight commissioner-nominees sent to it by Governor Siminalayi Fubara for confirmation as members of the State Executive Council, the lawmakers have yet to reconvene.

Recall that the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, adjourned sitting after the March 9 plenary.

Fubara had submitted the names of eight commissioner-nominees, including two professors, to the House.

During the screening, which was beamed live on national television, the lawmakers subjected the nominees to a rigorous process.

In the end, four of the nominees were rejected while five were cleared and their names sent to the governor for appointment as commissioners.

The state is currently without commissioners for health, information, environment, and the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.

However, it is not clear when the House will resume plenary, even as 26 of the 27 lawmakers loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, were elected candidates of their respective constituencies to contest the 2027 elections under the platform of the All Progressives Congress.

The Speaker, Amaewhule, will not be returning to the state legislature as he won the primary election to represent the Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives ahead of the 2027 poll.

Speaking on the prolonged absence of legislative business in the state, the Convener of the Rivers Peace Initiative, Obinna Ebogidi, said the situation was not only measured in legislation but also in the uncertainty it created for various sectors in the oil-rich state.

Ebogidi, in a statement sent to our correspondent, stated: “The real cost of prolonged legislative inactivity is not measured only in laws that are not passed or motions that are not debated.

“It is measured in the uncertainty it creates for citizens, businesses, investors and development partners who depend on stable and functioning institutions.”

While noting the strategic position of the state in the national economy, he said the people deserved to know why the lawmakers had not sat for this long, wondering whether the political crisis was truly over.

Ebogidi said, whatever the reason for the inactivity of the state legislature, it was important for politics to take a back seat as the people wanted to see governance.

“Rivers State is too strategic, too resource-rich and too important to the national economy for any of its critical democratic institutions to remain inactive for extended periods while major governance and development issues await attention.

“Perhaps even more importantly, there is a psychological cost.

“At a time when many Rivers people are eager to move beyond years of political tension and uncertainty, visible inactivity from key institutions can create anxiety, weaken public confidence and reinforce the perception that governance is not moving at the pace citizens expect.

“Whether the issues are political, procedural or administrative, Rivers people ultimately want to see governance working.

“They want to see institutions engaging, problems being addressed, budgets considered, policies debated, and the business of government proceeding in a manner that inspires confidence, stability and hope for the future,” the RPI Convener stated.

Also speaking, the Convener, Coalition of Rivers Elders of Thought, Chief Sunnie Chukumele, said since its inception, the Amaewhule-led House had not served the interest of the people.

Chulumele alleged that the lawmakers had been acting in a manner suggestive that they were selected rather than elected, pointing out that they had been acting out the script of an individual.

He further said the only time the state house of assembly was active was when the lawmakers wanted to impeach the governor, saying other than that, the legislature had remained passive and inefficient.

“Let me start by saying that it would appear that Rivers’ people elected them. But they exhibited every attitude and character to show that they were selected or appointed by the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike.

“Therefore, he calls the shots; he tells them what to do. Otherwise, why would Rivers State House of Assembly be so ineffective and inefficient in the performance of its duties apportioned to a state legislature by the constitution? So to every intent and purpose, they have failed.

“Why would they adjourn sine die? Maybe the President prevailed on them not to impeach the governor? So they will no longer sit. Their only sitting would be to impeach the governor of Rivers State. From inception, when they were sworn in, have they carried on as a legislature should?

“Go through everything they have done, it has been war, war. They have not performed the duties of a legislature, and that has impacted negatively on the development of the state.

“Have they oversighted the executive? My answer is no. They only want to discipline the executive. They only want to deal with the executive in a manner that only they are convinced of. That is very unfortunate,” Chukumele said.

He, therefore, called on the people of the state to rise to the occasion and be prepared to cast their votes for lawmakers who will serve their interests and not those with selfish interests come 2027.

“And this brings me to the issue I will say to Rivers people to ensure that in the next election, they must select people to the state legislature based on merit.

“Going forward, Rivers people must all go out, vote and defend their votes to select members of the state House of Assembly so that Rivers State should have a breath of fresh air.

“That dovetails into the 2027 election. We must choose people not based on godfatherism. Anybody who belongs to any godfather should not be voted into the Rivers State House of Assembly.

“There should be a rainbow coalition of qualified Assembly people that will come from diverse political parties. Anybody that belongs to the slate of a godfather should never be elected or voted for,” he added.

A former member of the National Assembly, Chief Ogbonna Nwuke, said the Amaewhule-led Assembly should be aware that there are constitutional provisions for it to fulfil in terms of the number of plenary sessions, vis-à-vis expectations from the people.

The former commissioner for information and communications in the state described the House as the ‘militant arm of Wike’s Rainbow Coalition.’

Nwuke, who represented Etche-Omuma Federal Constituency in the Green Chamber of the House, stated, “There are constitutional provisions for the Assembly to sit all year round.

“This Assembly that we have in Rivers State, which is more like the militant wing of the Rainbow Coalition, has been unable to fulfil the constitutional requirement, and still we are carrying on as if nothing is wrong.

“So, for doing less work as lawmakers, not meeting at least 180 days according to the constitutional provisions, it means this Assembly is under in terms of representing the people who voted them into office.”

Nwuke said if their official quarters, which they had been using for plenary, were no longer conducive, the lawmakers should quickly relocate to the new Assembly complex, which the governor undertook and completed, to continue the business of lawmaking.

“The last time they sat, they said they were adjourning sine die. How do you adjourn sine die when governance is an issue? So when they come, they issue threats here and there, and then they go.

“I think that the Assembly quarters were used for their sitting, so nobody understands why they are no longer sitting there.

“The new Assembly complex is ready. They may likely switch over and return to work.

“What is more important for them is having a second tenure than sitting. And what makes it a very important part of governance, you hear them say, the governor has not presented the budget. Will he present a budget in a house that is asleep?

The National President of the South-South Youths Initiative. Imeabe Oscar said the long absence of the lawmakers from the business of legislation was unacceptable.

Oscar, in a statement titled ‘prolonged inactivity of the Rivers State House of Assembly,’ said the action of the lawmakers was a disservice to the people they were supposed to be representing, adding that there had been no bills for debate and no oversight in the past three months on issues that would have been of benefit to the state.

He said, “It is unacceptable and a gross disservice to Rivers people that the Assembly has not sat since March 9th, 2026, when it only screened commissioner-nominees sent by the governor.

“For over 15 months, the House has been dormant while critical issues affecting Rivers’ citizens remain unattended to.

“This is a clear disservice because there is no legislative oversight of ministries, departments and agencies, contracts, or spending of public funds.

“Who is checking the executive on behalf of the people? No new bills, no amendments, no debates on policies that can improve security, economy, health, and education in Rivers State.”

While noting that their constituencies have no voice, Oscar expressed sadness that the people’s problems were neither being debated nor defended by the state legislature.

“The Assembly that does not sit makes a mockery of democracy. You cannot claim to represent the people when you refuse to meet.

“The House of Assembly is the voice of the people. Collecting salaries and allowances while refusing to sit is not only irresponsible, it is a betrayal of the mandate given by Rivers voters.

“We, the youth and citizens of Rivers State, demand that the Rivers State House of Assembly immediately resume plenary and begin to carry out its constitutional duties. Rivers people deserve a working legislature, not a ghost Assembly.

“Silence in the face of this legislative shutdown is complicity. The people are watching, and history will judge,” the National President, SSYI, stated.

For its part, the Civil Liberties Organisation said the action of the state House of Assembly sitting for only a few days in its lifespan was not only worrisome but undermined the tenets of democracy.

The spokesman of CLO in Rivers State, Emma Obe, in a statement sent exclusively to The PUNCH on Thursday, said, “The Civil Liberties Organisation in Rivers State is deeply concerned about the prolonged inactivity of the Rivers State House of Assembly and the grave implications it has for democracy, accountability, and good governance.

“The legislature is a fundamental pillar of democratic governance, serving as the direct representative of the people and providing oversight of the executive arm. When the legislature becomes ineffective, the system of checks and balances that sustains democracy is seriously weakened.

“The current situation in Rivers State is particularly disturbing because the House of Assembly has remained largely inactive for most of its tenure, sitting only a few times and passing very few laws.

“Of even greater concern is the fact that the Assembly has not effectively carried out one of its most important constitutional responsibilities, which is the scrutiny and passage of the state budget.

“This raises serious questions about transparency, accountability, and the legal framework guiding government expenditure in the state,” Obe added.

Corroborating previous views, he said the Assembly’s inactivity had also affected governance and policymaking, saying, “The last major legislative action occurred several months ago when commissioners were screened and confirmed.

“Since then, legislative oversight and deliberations on matters of public importance have virtually ceased. This has contributed to a situation where government operations are not receiving the level of legislative scrutiny required in a democratic system, while important issues affecting citizens remain unattended.”

Obe recalled that the political crisis that culminated in the declaration of a state of emergency in March 2025 and the suspension of democratic institutions worsened the situation in the state.

“The disruption of legislative activities has limited the Assembly’s ability to perform its constitutional duties, including lawmaking, oversight, and representation.

“As a result, governance has suffered, public confidence in democratic institutions has declined, and the delivery of critical services has been affected.

“The CLO believes that while politics is an integral part of democracy, it must never overshadow governance. Political actors in Rivers State must place the interests of the people above personal and partisan considerations.

“The state cannot continue to be trapped in political disputes while development and public welfare are neglected. Rivers people deserve a functional legislature, responsible governance, and leaders who understand that the ultimate purpose of government is service to the citizens,” the CLO said.

An ally of Wike, Chimenen Wodiz, however, held a different view.

Wodi, who is the Legal Adviser and spokesman to the Federal Commissioner to the President on Christian Pilgrimage, blamed Fubara for the development.

While defending the state lawmakers, Wodi said if the governor had cooperated with the Assembly, things would not have been the way it was.

He added that the friction between the executive and legislative arms in the state worsened the development.

“Well, I think it is just the level of executive rascality. In the words of Montesquieu, once there is a working relationship between the executive and the legislative, the executive is a pilot, but when there is dissent, the executive becomes so imperious that he doesn’t look at anybody.

“This is what comes as a result of it. This is the resultant effect of executive rascality, and the governor cannot work without the legislators.

“These people are supposed to work in harmony with him. So you can see that the relationship between the governor, who is the executive, and the legislature is in shambles,” he said.

He added, “So I think the governor has missed it. He has shot himself in the foot. That is why we say, as Plato said, those who understand politics should go into politics. And that is where they said, ‘Let the righteous rule.’”

Wodi continued: “The governor should have played high-powered politics. You lobby internally, the way democracies operate. They lobby. The likes of Trump lobby. Look at the Republicans and Democrats. In spite of the glitches, they still come together. Do we even have a line of contact?

“So, for me, I think it is the fault of the executive. There is an absolute rascality emanating from the executive. So what are the lawmakers sitting for?

“The little time they sit, there are a lot of embargoes. So how do they operate? They will have to go home and look for other areas.

“So for me, the governor has caused, even economically, things to go down the drain. This is the worst kind of politics under this system of governance.

“So why should people start shouting? Even if they sit, if they decide to deliberate, we have not had executive bills for decades. All the budgets I am referring to have not been passed. And all this amounts to impeachment. So for me, the governor… I don’t know, but he does not understand the language of politics.”

When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to the Rivers State Governor, Onwuka Nzeshi, said he was not in a position to speak on the issue and directed our correspondent to contact the Assembly spokesperson.

Efforts to reach the spokesman of the Assembly, Enemi George, and the House Leader, Major Jack, failed as they did not respond to calls put across to their mobile phones.

Also, the two senior lawmakers had yet to reply to text and WhatsApp messages sent to them as of the time of filing this report on Thursday evening.