Rivers Crisis: APC Stalwart Heads To Court, Seeks Order Of Mandamus
By Ndifereke BASSEY
The crisis rocking Rivers State has continued to take different dimension as former House of Assembly member in Cross River state, Cletus Obun, has approached a Federal High court in Abuja seeking for an order of mandamus to compel the National Assembly to take over the functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
In the last couple of months, there has been no love lost between Governor Sim Fubura, and his estranged mentor, current FCT Minister, Nyesome Wike.
This new angle followed the decision of a former House of Assembly member in Cross River state, Cletus
Obun said the decision to approach a Federal High Court is aimed at seeking for solution to intractable political crisis rocking Rivers.
In an exclusive interview with THE BEAGLE NEWS, the former chairman of the defunct ACN and Vice Chairman of APC, opined that "the constitution clearly stipulates that only 1/3 of the total number of members can sit for legislative business in any parliament in Nigeria.
"As seasoned and passionate parliamentarian, we can't afford to remain aloof while anomalies reign supreme in the legislative arm of government.
"The constitution is explicit. That is the Constitution provision as enshrined in the House Rules which is a subsidiary legislation. Anyone can work out the mathematics.
"A minimum of 10 members out of the 32 is required to sit in the case of River State. The 4 members presently parading as a House of Assembly are not even half of the 10. They can't constitute the full compliment of the House Leaders as required by the 1999 Constitution as amended.
"Therefore, the National Assembly has a constitutional role under the relevant unambiguous constitutional provisions to make laws for Rivers State until the court decide the multiple litigations."
On the legal tussle arising from the defection saga in the River State House of Assembly, Obun said: "No Court in Nigeria can confer legitimate membership of APC on anybody. A member must register in his ward and his name must be in the membership register."
He concluded that' "General Overseer of any church can not proclaim himself a bishop of the Catholic Church through a press conference or sworn affidavit from any court of law. It's as direct as that."
