•Speaker Martins Amaewhule and Siminalayi Fubara
A former member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Samuel Ogeh, and an ex-Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Ibim Semenitari, have differed on Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s invitation to Rivers lawmakers led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule.
Fubara had invited the lawmakers for a meeting following the Supreme Court verdict that recognised Amaewhule and other lawmakers as legitimate members of the Rivers House of Assembly.
He was asked to present the 2025 budget to them too.
While Ogeh believes the invitation was disrespectful because the governor did not sign the letter himself, Semenitari disagrees, saying that the invitation presents an avenue to achieve lasting peace in the crisis-hit South-South state.
“If there is good intention there is nothing wrong, but people must learn how to accept their mistakes. I am not speaking for the Speaker, but what I am saying is from my point of view, that letter is not intended to achieve any good result because it smacks of disrespect to the House,” Ogeh said on Channels TV last night.
Also speaking on the television programme, Semenitari said, “I would like to believe that (it will bring a lasting peace) because ultimately this is about Rivers interest and all of the gladiators are Rivers men and women. I would want to hate that there would be one Rivers citizen who won’t want peace at last. So, I would like to hope that it will be peace at last”.
In a letter signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Tammy Danagogo, and obtained by our correspondent yesterday, Fubara invited the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Amaewhule, and other lawmakers for a meeting.
The meeting is scheduled to be held at the Governor’s Office in the Government House, Port Harcourt, today.
The lawmakers had last week given Fubara 48 hours to present the 2025 budget to the lawmakers for consideration.
Their invitation to the governor followed a Supreme Court judgement that ordered Amaewhule and all lawmakers elected for the Rivers State Assembly to resume sitting.
