The Senate passed a resolution on Thursday empowering it and the House of Representatives to take over the legislative functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
In the resolution which concurs with that of the House on July 10, the Senate also flayed the attempt by five anti-Rotimi Amaechi lawmakers to impeach the state Assembly Speaker, Otelemaba Amachree.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Information and Media, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said after the decision that a meeting between the President of the Senate, David Mark, and the Speaker of the House, Aminu Tambuwal, would be held to draw up modalities for the running of the assembly.
He said, “As it stands now, the Rivers State House of Assembly has been suspended by virtue of the fact that it can no longer carry out its legislative functions.
“The principal officers of both chambers of the National Assembly will meet to discuss and agree on the procedures for running the assembly.
“From there, we will await subsequent instructions from the Chairman of the National Assembly.”
The Senate Committee on State and Local Governments which investigated the crisis in the assembly had presented its report during plenary in Abuja. It recommended that the assembly be taken over and fingered President Goodluck Jonathan, his wife, Patience, and the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party for being behind it.
The committee recommended, “That the National Assembly should, as a matter of urgency, take over the functions and duties of the Rivers State House of Assembly, pursuant to Section 11(4) of the 1999 Constitution(as amended) pending the resolution of the crisis and restoration of peace in Rivers State.”
Senators, in a voice vote, passed the resolution without any dissenting voice.
The same was the case for the two other prayers which are:
* “That the Inspector-General of Police should as a matter of urgency, redeploy the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu, since his relationship with Governor Amaechi had broken down irretrievably and;
*“That the Senate President should intervene and mediate in the Rivers State political crisis and see to its amicable resolution.”
Although the recommendations were 17, the committee had to reduce them to three after meeting behind closed doors for about five hours.
The recommendation not taken was the prayer that the Director-General of the Department of Security Service should “investigate and cause the prosecution of Chidi Lloyd (Majority Leader of the state assembly) and all those found to be actively involved in attacking Michael Chinda and other members of the assembly.”
-PUNCH-
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