Femi Falana, a human rights lawyer, has offered his opinion on a controversial directive by Governor Siminalayi Fubara to alter the Rivers State House of Assembly’s sitting venue.
Falana claimed that Governor Fubara does not have the power to determine the location of the assembly’s meeting in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
The senior lawyer emphasized the independence of the legislature from the executive branch, highlighting that the governor’s executive order infringes upon the autonomy of the House of Assembly.
He underscored, “The house is independent of the executive. So the governor cannot tell the house where to sit.”
He said, “I would like to assume that the governor issued that executive order before the intervention of the High Court in Rivers State.
“The house is independent of the executive. So the governor cannot tell the house where to sit,” he added.
This legal stance comes amidst escalating tensions within Rivers State’s political landscape.
However, the Presidency has made it clear that President Bola Tinubu will not take sides in the ongoing feud between Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and Governor Siminalayi Fubara
Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Tinubu, reaffirmed this position during an interview on TVC.
Ngelale elucidated that President Tinubu’s focus lies in ensuring the smooth functioning of governance and preventing any attempts to obstruct the Rivers State Government’s operations. He asserted, “Mr. President will not do that. What he will do is to ensure that everybody has what they need in order to work.”