Rivers Crisis: House of Reps Finally Inaugurates Committee, "Critical Milestone"
- A committee to oversee legislative activities of the suspended Rivers state house of assembly has been inaugurated by Tajudeen Abbas, the speaker of the house of representatives
- Abbas, while inaugurating the ad-hoc committee on Tuesday, April 15, urged the members to legislate on behalf of the suspended Rivers state house of assembly in line with the constitution
- Legit.ng reports that the committee members are lawmakers drawn from each geopolitical zone of the country
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics, elections, and governance in Nigeria.
FCT, Abuja - Tajudeen Abbas, the speaker of the house of representatives, on Tuesday, April 15, inaugurated an ad-hoc committee to legislate in place of the suspended Rivers state house of assembly.
As reported by The Punch, the event was held at the national assembly complex, Abuja. It was attended by member-designates drawn from the six geo-political zones of Nigeria.
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Vanguard newspaper also noted the development.
Addressing the 21-man committee, Speaker Abbas reminded the panel that its mandate is non-partisan, a call to legislate to ensure good governance, peace, and prosperity of Rivers state.
The Kaduna-born politician said:
“This moment marks not only a critical milestone in our constitutional mandate but also a display of our dedication to transparent governance and the rule of law in our country. Our actions today are grounded in Section 11(4) of the 1999 Constitution, which confers upon us the authority to make laws for any state whose elected legislative body is unable to perform its statutory functions.
“It states that at any time when any House of Assembly of a State is unable to perform its functions by reason of the situation prevailing in that State, the National Assembly may make such laws for the peace, order and good government of that State with respect to matters on which a House of Assembly may make laws as may appear to the National Assembly to be necessary or expedient until such time as the House of Assembly is able to resume its functions; and any such laws enacted by the National Assembly pursuant to this section shall have effect as if they were laws enacted by the House of Assembly of the state.
“Accordingly, in response to the President’s declaration and in accordance with our constitutional duty, the official Gazette of the State of Emergency was duly transmitted to both the House and Senate. On 20th March 2025, the chambers deliberated extensively and approved the President’s request with significant amendments designed to reinforce democratic safeguards and ensure robust oversight."
Present at the event are the house leader who doubles as the chairman of the committee, Professor Julius Ihonvbere, and Ali Isah (Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Gombe), who is the deputy chairman.
Others are Idris Wase (northcentral), Aliyu Muktar (northeast), Sada Soli (northwest), Iduma Igariwey (southeast), Shehu Rijau, Wole Oke, Akara hi Amadi, Patrick Umoh, and Isa Anka, among others.
Rivers: Wike, Fubara asked to sign peace pact
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Coalition for Democracy and Development (CDD) issued a stern warning to the minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and the governor of Rivers state, Siminalayi Fubara, urging them to set aside their differences and sign a new peace pact within 90 days.
In a statement signed by George Ifure, the CDD condemned Wike and Fubara for allegedly prioritising personal interests over public welfare.
The organisation described the prolonged crisis as a "failure of leadership" and warned that Nigerians would hold Wike and Fubara accountable if they did not take immediate steps to resolve their differences.
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Source: Legit.ng
