How 2 Speakers Now Run RIVERS State Assembly

• The Story Of MARTINS CHIKE AMAEWHULE & EDISON EHIE

The 10th Rivers State House of Assembly on Monday 30th of October, 2023 witnessed a chaotic session. On Sunday evening 29th of October, 2023 there was reported fire incident at the Ultra modern Assembly Complex Moscow Road suspected to be arson. But by 8:20am on that Monday morning the Speaker Rt Honourable Martins Chike Amaewhule and majority of the members sat outside the Hallowed Chambers and moved a motion suspending the Majority Leader Barrister Edison Ehie representing Ahoada East Constituency II and quickly served impeachment Notice on the Governor Siminialayi Fubara. As that was going on it was alleged that somewhere at the Government House Port Harcourt, the Majority Leader, Barrister Edison Ehie and others also suspended Rt. Honourable Martins Amaewhule and elected Edison Ehie as Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly. As it stands today Rivers State House of Assembly has not made a unified statement on the position of who the authentic Speaker is as both Honourables are claiming to be the one to be recognized.

For the records, Rt. Honourable Martins Amaewhule, has been a lawmaker as Legislative Arm Leader of Obio/Akpor LGA right from the time the current Minister of Federal Capital Territory FCT Abuja, Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike was Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. Since then Rt. Honourable Martins Amaewhule who represents Obio/Akpor State Constituency 1 has been a political son of Nyesom Wike. Before 2015 Governorship election in Rivers State, one of  Nyesom Wike’s Political structures Grassroot Development Initiatives—GDI had Martins Amaewhule as the anchor man. Later in 2013 this GDI fussed into Peoples Democratic Party PDP Rivers state chapter and spread in all the 319 electoral wards and 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State.

No wonder on the assumption of the 10th State Assembly Martins Amaewhule, emerged Speaker and he has remained loyal to the Minister of the FCT ABUJA Wike while the GDI has remained a formidable Political structure in Rivers State.

For Barrister Edison Ehie who was first elected in the 9th Assembly in 2015 when he emerged Deputy Speaker haven been re elected in a rerun in 2026 and another rerun in 2019. He represents Shosfa East State Constituency II, in the Rivers State House of Assembly. Edison Ehie is a vocal lawmaker whose presence remains visibly and audacious.

He hails from the Orashi geopolitical region of Rivers State, precisely Rivers West Senatorial Zone where the Deputy Governor Professor Mrs. Ngozi Odu also comes from. It is also worthy of note that Barrister Edison Ehie before the 30th October, 2023 legislative melo drama, remained the Majority Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly. Keen followers of the political power play in River State during the political bruhaha will agree that  Wike and the governor are allegedly not having a reburst relationship. Governor Siminialayi Fubara had made a public broadcast where he apologized to Rivers State people on the incidents of 30th October 2023 and its aftermaths.

With the intervention by PDP Governors’ Forum and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reconciliatory moves, peace is somewhere in the horizon for the warring parties and the Rivers people in general.

-Emeka Amaefula

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