The political crisis rocking the Rivers state house of Assembly deepened on Wednesday as lawmakers loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara on elected Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo as the Speaker of the House.
Oko-Jumbo representing Bonny State Constituency was one of the four lawmakers loyal to Governor Fubara after the House was factionalized following a move to impeach the governor late last year
This development came barely 48 hours after Governor Fubara declared as non-existent the 27 majority members of the House who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The opposition APC has also, in the last 48 hours, instructed its members at the state parliament, who are now the majority, to impeach the governor.
Baring that in mind, some lawmakers, according to a source, converged on Wednesday and elected Jumbo, a ranking member representing Bonny Constituency, as the factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Oko becomes the third Speaker under the current administration after Edison Ehie and Martin Amaewhule.
The Wednesday arrangements also saw the emergence of Hon. Sokari Goodboy as the Majority Leader of the Assembly.
Addressing the press after taking the oath of office, the new Speaker said: “We will brief the press, communicate our proceedings to the public and engage them. We’ll make sure they’re part of what we’re doing to ensure that there’s transparency and clarity in the legislative assembly.
“Well, I have already directed the clerk to notify His Excellency the Governor that a new leadership has emerged in the Rivers State House of Assembly and that we are ready to work for the Rivers people.”
