By Ghazali Ibrahim
The Rivers State House of Assembly has reconvene on Thursday, September 18, at 10 a.m., for its first plenary session since President Bola Tinubu lifted the emergency rule in the state.
The sitting, presided over by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, will take place at the Conference Hall of the Legislative Quarters along Aba Road, which has served as the Assembly’s temporary chamber.
The lawmakers have been meeting at the facility since their official chamber at the Assembly complex on Moscow Road was bombed by arsonists and later demolished by the state government.
According to The PUNCH, efforts by the outgone Sole Administrator of the state, Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), to complete the reconstruction of the Assembly quarters did not succeed, leaving lawmakers to continue with the temporary arrangement.
Thursday’s plenary marks the formal resumption of democratic governance in Rivers State, following months of political tension that culminated in the declaration and eventual lifting of a state of emergency by the Presidency.
Observers say the Assembly sitting will set the tone for legislative business in the state, particularly as Governor Siminalayi Fubara and other elected officials resume their constitutional duties.
