Critical stakeholders in the political crisis rocking Rivers State have agreed to resolve the weeks-long conflict.
The decision was taken at a meeting President Bola Tinubu held with Governor Siminalayi Fubara, a former governor of the state, Peter Odili, and the immediate past Governor, Nyesom Wike, and other stakeholders at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja. According to a resolution signed by the parties, the President directed that all matters instituted in the courts by the governor and his team in respect of the political crisis be withdrawn immediately.
Also, all impeachment proceedings initiated against the governor by the state House of Assembly should be dropped immediately. The resolution was signed by Fubara, Wike; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Speaker, Rivers State Assembly, Martin Amaewhule; PDP Chairman, Rivers State, Aaron Chukwuemeka and APC Chairman, Rivers State, Tony Okocha.
The resolution also read that the leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly as led by Martin Amaewhule shall be recognized alongside the 27 members who resigned from the PDP, stressing that the remunerations and benefits of all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and their staff must be reinstated immediately and the Governor of Rivers State shall henceforth not interfere with the full funding of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Tinubu also directed that the lawmakers shall choose where they want to sit and conduct their legislative business without interference or hindrance from the Executive arm of government. Also, Fubara, who had earlier presented the 2024 Appropriation Bill of his state to four members of the Assembly shall re-present the state budget to a properly constituted Rivers State House of Assembly.
Likewise, the President directed that the names of all commissioners in the Rivers State Executive Council who resigned their appointments because of the political crisis in the state should be resubmitted to the House of Assembly for approval, adding that there should not be a caretaker committee for the local governments in Rivers State” declaring the dissolution of the Local Government administration as “null and void”.