Tensions flared at the House of Representatives on Wednesday as lawmakers Marie Ebikake and Blessing Amadi got into a heated exchange over President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
The argument, which erupted just before the plenary session, saw the two female lawmakers raising their voices and pointing fingers as they debated the controversial move. Ebikake, representing Brass/Nembe Federal Constituency of Bayelsa, and Amadi, representing Port Harcourt Two Federal Constituency, stood on opposing sides of the debate regarding the President’s decision to suspend Governor Sim Fubara, his deputy, and the State House of Assembly members for six months.
President Tinubu, in a nationwide address on Tuesday, justified his decision by citing the prolonged political crisis in Rivers, stating that governance in the state had come to a halt.
“Fourteen months after Governor Fubara demolished the House of Assembly, it remains unbuilt. Many Nigerians have intervened, just as I did, but their efforts have been to no avail,” Tinubu said.
He announced retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as the Administrator to take charge of the state’s affairs, emphasizing the need to restore order.
The declaration of emergency came shortly after an explosion at an oil facility in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area and a fire outbreak at the Trans-Niger Pipeline operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), further escalating tensions in the region.
The House of Reps is now expected to weigh in on the crisis as the debate over Tinubu’s intervention intensifies across the country.
