Rivers Assembly Crisis: Faction Defies Court Order, Holds Sitting 

The Martins Amaewhule faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly has reportedly defied a court order that restrains both factions of the Assembly from sitting pending the outcome of a case instituted by factional Speaker Edison Ehie.

During their sitting on Wednesday, members of the Amaewhule faction elected Major Jack as the Leader of the 10th Legislative Assembly and Hon. Franklin Nwabochi as the Chief Whip. This election followed the suspension of Ehie, the former leader.

The nominations and subsequent elections proceeded smoothly, with no objections from any of the 26 lawmakers present during the plenary session. Additionally, the Rivers State Funds Management Bill 2023 passed its second reading, and the Rivers State Local Government Amendment Bill 2023 scaled its first reading during the 83rd plenary.

Lawmakers aligned with Amaewhule, who is reportedly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), expressed confidence in his leadership style during the sitting.

The division within the Rivers State House of Assembly arose from an incident on October 29 when a fire engulfed the hallowed chamber, resulting in a split between the two factions. The Amaewhule faction, reportedly loyal to Governor Wike, attempted to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara on October 30, while the Ehie faction is said to be loyal to Fubara.