The police authorities have deployed about 30 armed policemen to protect the official quarters of members of the Rivers State House of Assembly on Aba Road, Port Harcourt. This move follows an allegation by the pro-Wike factional Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, that the complex had been earmarked for demolition by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The deployment of the policemen to the quarters coincided with a Rivers State High Court order barring the 27 lawmakers led by Amaewhule from further sitting as legislators for the state. Additionally, the All Progressives Congress (APC) branded some of the governor's actions and utterances as an invitation to impeachment.
In response to reports of the plenary sitting of the pro-Wike legislators, Governor Fubara relocated the House of Assembly to the Auditorium, Admin Block of the Government House, Port Harcourt, citing safety concerns due to the state of the chamber, which was burnt in October 2023.
The pro-Wike legislators have raised alarm over an alleged planned demolition of the Assembly Quarters, while the anti-Fubara lawmakers, including some APC chieftains, kept vigil around the estate.
Meanwhile, a pro-Fubara group, Sim Media Volunteers (SMV), has called on the Inspector-General of Police to monitor his officers in the state and ensure they observe the rules of engagement to avoid unnecessary attacks or arrests.
In a related development, the Rivers State Government has described as false the claim by the immediate past Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor, that he resigned because Governor Fubara asked him to institute a legal action challenging President Tinubu's eight-point resolution on the state's crisis.
The crisis in Rivers State has attracted national attention, with the APC warning Governor Fubara against turning himself into a "despot-in-chief" of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Olabode George, has called for urgent intervention in the conflict, warning that if left unchecked, it could escalate into a national crisis.
