Important players in the political dispute roiling Rivers State have concurred to end the weeks-long standoff.
The decision was made during a meeting that President Bola Tinubu hosted at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja with Governor Siminalayi Fubara, previous state governor Peter Odili, the most recent governor Nyesom Wike, and other stakeholders.
In a decree issued on Monday night, the President ordered the immediate withdrawal of all legal actions brought about by the governor and his staff in relation to the political situation.
Additionally, the state House of Assembly’s impeachment procedures against the governor have to be promptly abandoned.
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 read, “The leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly as led by the Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule shall be recognised alongside the 27 members who resigned from the PDP.
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“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.”
Given the inhabitable state of the Rivers State House of Assembly building, Tinubu directd that the lawmakers “shall choose where they want to sit and conduct their legislative business without interreference and/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.”
The President further ordered that “there should not be a caretaker committee for the local governments in Rivers State” and that the dissolution of the Local Government administration be declared “null and void.” The names of all commissioners in the Rivers State Executive Council who resigned their appointments due to the political crisis in the state “should be resubmitted to the House of Assembly for approval.”
