RIVERS CRISIS: Wike loses 2 loyalist lawmakers to Fubara as 25 others say “We defected to APC because of Tinubu”

*Tinubu’s appointment of Rivers indigenes now show beyond ‘govt of national unity’

*As Amaewhule says defection because of President’s appointments of more Rivers to Abuja

*New APC coming up in state – Port Harcourt source

*As Amaewhule says all Tunubu’s appointments in Rivers not APC

By OUR REPORTER, Port Harcourt

The sacked Speaker’s confidence with which he spoke was “because his group of defectors rely on Federal Might with a Tinubu’s allegedly former ADC or security aide is now the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State”.

The impeached Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Martins Chike Amaewhule, has revealed the real reason the 27 lawmakers, loyal to Nyesom Wike, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), took the decision.

Amaewhule said that they left the PDP because President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is believed to have used Wike to kill his own APC of which he is the Party Leader in Rivers State, is doing very well with the appointments of Rivers indigenes into various positions in Abuja.

The lawmaker stated that the 5-man group led by Rt. Hon Edison Ehie cannot form a quorum and that whatever they are doing in the name of the Assembly is null and void.

The sacked Speaker made this comment as a source close to the New APC in the state said the confidence with which he spoke was “because his group of defectors rely on Federal Might with a Tinubu’s allegedly former ADC or security aide is now the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State”.

Speaking during a dedication service and stakeholders meeting of the APC in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, which was attended by Wike, on Sunday, Amaewhule said “we begged Mr President, the former president could not attend to the problems of the State, so we begged Mr President that we have a problem.

“Look at the East West Road. The road leading to Ogoni, the president that is not in our party unlike the previous president, the president gave us his words and said go back home irrespective of your party, I am a detribalized Nigerian, that’s what the president told us.

“The East West Road work is ongoing and in no distance time that project will be completed. Access to the refinery, access to all the companies along the stretch of the road will be complete that is the president that says a thing and he does it.

“Do you know what the president is doing since he became president he has given appointments to Rivers people irrespective of parties. Mr President for the first time gave a strategic appointment for somebody that is not from his party. It’s not only the appointment of the FCT Minister, he has given appointments to many Rivers sons.

“All the people he appointed are not APC members. The president shows that he is detribalized. So in making a choice of which party to go to this is a president that means well for the people. Let me inform you we have done investigation and we know that in the coming weeks , early next week, a lot will be done and we believe that when we have Petroleum products refined in this part of the country, prices of petroleum products will drop”.

Amaewhule noted that a lot of work is going on in the Port Harcourt refinery now.

“But let me tell you something that is very important, I did not say that everything is well in the country. The president has started well and the foundation is strong. The president needs the support of Nigerians. So in making our decisions to leave PDP, the PDP never said anything when the House of Assembly was burnt down. No official statement from the PDP. They did not condemn it when the state legislature was burnt down. The party never condemned which shows that they were not interested in what we are doing in the House of Assembly we have taken a decision to be in APC.

“All we need to do as Rivers is to support Mr President every person that Mr President has appointed we should pray and support them and Mr President so that the president will continue to do good things for the state. As legislatures, our job is to come up with legislation that helps the people of Rivers State.

“We have just passed the state fund management bill that grants the financial autonomy of the State legislation. What it means is that as soon as assent is given to that bill we don’t have to run to the governor to be begging for funds to manage the House of Assembly.

“Currently, the governor has stopped funding the state House of Assembly. But once the bill is consented to what it means is that funding will come straight from consolidated revenue of the State. What the governor is doing by not releasing funds to the state Assembly is against the Constitution. The governor has stopped funding the Assembly that is a misconduct on part of the governor.”

The DEFENDER reports what Amaewhule meant by saying the defected lawmakers passed a bill for financial autonomy for the Assembly they are no longer members of, having already been declared non-existent with their seats now vacant and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) already acknowledged the need to conduct elections to fill the seats soon.

Another factor that will work against these lawmakers, whose political benefactors, wike, is believed to be guilty of anti-party offences against hospital own PDP, is the thickening resistance that lucks in wait for them including their godfather in APC.

“How wike believes that Tinubu owns APC and will easily manipulates the ruling party to create a seat of comfort for him against those who are loyalists of th party remains what we lie in wait to see how I will happen,” an Abuja source said in his response to the Rivers development.