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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
President Bola Tinubu and critical stakeholders in Rivers State have resolved the weeks-long political crisis rocking the state.
The resolution was taken at a meeting Tinubu held with Governor Siminalayi Fubara, former governor of the state, Peter Odili, and Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, and other stakeholders at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday night.
According to the resolution, 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directed that all matters instituted in the courts by the governor and his team in respect of the political crisis be withdrawn immediately.
The resolution was signed by Fubara, Wike, National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Speaker, Rivers State Assembly, Martin Amaewhule; Rivers PDP Chairman, Aaron Chukwuemeka; Rivers APC Caretaker Committee Chairman, Tony Okocha, and deputy governor of the state, Ngozi Odu.
Also, all impeachment proceedings initiated against the governor by the House of Assembly should be dropped immediately.
“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.
“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,” it read.
Given the inhabitable state of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex, Tinubu directed 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 to four members of the assembly “shall re-present the state budget to a properly constituted Rivers State House of Assembly.”
The president also 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.”
“There should not be a caretaker committee for the local governments in Rivers State. The dissolution of the Local Government administration is null and void and shall not be recognised,” it added.
See copy of resolution below: