A group of federal lawmakers, G-60, has declared that some members of the Rivers State House of Assembly lack the legitimacy to amend the State Public Procurement law.
According to the group, these lawmakers ceased to exist in December last year and are therefore unable to perform any legislative functions, News About Nigeria reports.
In a statement signed by the Spokesperson of the group and member representing Ideato North South Federal Constituency of Imo State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the group described the purported veto of Governor Siminialayi Fubara’s powers by the 27 persons parading themselves as Rivers lawmakers as “legislative madness taken too far by some clowns.”
The group maintained that the ‘Abuja-based lawmakers’ who operate from a two-room self-contained apartment in Emohua and Abuja are still moving freely, parading themselves due to Governor Fubara’s mercy and obedience to the peace accord brokered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to end the political crisis in the state.
Ugochinyere stated, “These clowns, as far as we are concerned, are still moving about freely parading themselves freely because of Governor Fubara’s mercy and largely in obedience to the peace accord brokered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to end the political crisis in the state.”
The group questioned how the lawmakers could think that a mobilization fee of not more than 20% of any contract sum is enough for suppliers or contractors to move to the site or provide goods and services in the present economic situation.
G-60 also pointed out that these individuals, who sit in hotel rooms in Abuja or anywhere their paymasters take them, have lost their status as lawmakers since they dumped the PDP, which brought them to power, and joined the APC. This action, according to the group, violates Section 109 (1) (g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), he said.
The group called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct elections to fill the vacant seats and save Rivers from continuous illegality, as well as save Nigeria the embarrassment of non-existing lawmakers causing trouble too often.
