‘We have a new Speaker, I went to see for myself’ – Fubara explains visit to Assembly quarters

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has clarified his recent visit to the residential quarters of the State House of Assembly, stating that it was to assess the condition of the structures for potential rehabilitation, aiming to restore their livability.

Fubara provided this clarification after inspecting the 15.24-kilometer Emohua/Abalama/Tema Junction dual carriageway road project on Thursday.

Videos circulating on social media on Thursday showed the governor touring the Assembly residential quarters, prompting inquiries into the purpose of the visit.

In response, the governor said, “Is the Assembly quarters not part of my property? Is there anything wrong in going to check how things are going on there?

“You are aware of the developments. We have a new Speaker, and I went there to see for myself how things are.

“There might be a few things I might want to do there for the good of our people.”

In a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Rivers State Governor, Nelson Chukwudi, Fubara commented on the road project, stating that he was evaluating the progress of the work to determine any additional steps required to prepare the road for commissioning on his one-year anniversary.

He said, “As a matter of fact, we added this section of the road as one of the projects we will be commissioning.

“So, I needed to see it myself, and what is remaining is just the lighting. By the grace of God, we will commission it.”

He stated that the project was inherited from the previous administration, adding that his administration was responsible for most of the cost.

“We feel justified to add it as our project and to commission it for the good of our people here.

“Governance is all about the people. When the people are out of the centre of governance, then it is no longer governance.

“So, this road, as we all now know, was in a very bad state. A lot of criminal activities were being carried out here, kidnapping and all sorts of things. So, putting this road in order is appropriate.”

Fubara’s visit to the Assembly residential quarters comes a day after a factional Speaker of the Assembly, Victor Oko Jumbo, emerged.

Jumbo, the lawmaker representing Bonny State Constituency, emerged the factional Speaker of the House on Wednesday during a plenary session by lawmakers loyal to Fubara.

He declared the actions of the Martins Amaewhule-led Assembly void.

Jumbo and two lawmakers are said to be loyal to the governor, while 27 lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC, are loyal to former Governor Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

The political crisis in Rivers State is predicated on the face-off between Fubara and Wike.