The crisis rocking the Rivers State House of Assembly got messier on Wednesday when agents purported to be from the Rivers State Government demolished the House of Assembly complex.
The government claimed that the demolition was for the purpose of renovation.
It was gathered that not even a pin (no furniture, files, fittings, etc) was taken out of the complex which now lies in complete ruins.
About 10 bulldozers arrived at the complex around 6am on Wednesday and commenced the demolition exercise, an action that took place about two months after fire from unknown sources gutted the complex.
This came as the factional Speaker, Hon. Edison Ehie, led other lawmakers loyal to the governor to sit early on Wednesday before the demolition began.
It was gathered that Hon. Ehie, during the session, said the complex was due for repairs following the explosion that rocked the building on October 30, 2023, adding that the governor will provide an alternative place for them to sit during the period of the meantime.
This was as Governor Siminalayi Fubara presented the N800 billion 2024 budget estimates to the Edison Ehie-led group at the Government House, the same moment the demolition was being carried out.
Hon. Ehie was recognised by the court as the Speaker of the House.
The budget presentation was held in a hall at the Government House, Port Harcourt.
It would bs recalled that 27 lawmakers loyal to the former governor and FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, decamped from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), leaving only five members of the PDP with the incumbent governor.
The demolition came about 24 hours after the decamping of the 27 lawmakers.
The decamping and movement to Abuja, as feared by the camp of the governor, could be preparatory to his impeachment and removal of the governor.
The development has further exarcerbated political crisis that has engulfed the state in the past few weeks.
The demolition has been described as the new phase of the unfolding saga in the state.
The Assembly complex is now the latest collateral damage in the war of attrition between Governor Fubara and his estranged godfather, now FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
On Monday, 27 members of the House of Assembly loyal to the Minister defected from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The lawmakers cited claimed division within the PDP as the primary reason for their defection to the APC.
Before announcing their defection from PDP to APC, they adopted a resolution condemning the alleged withholding of funds for the management of the Assembly by the state government.
The faction led by its Speaker, Mr. Martin Amaewhule, accused Governor Fubara of starving them of funds
The 27 lawmakers out of 32, thereafter, announced their defection to the APC.
Speaking after reading the letters signed by the defected lawmakers, Amaewhule directed the Clerk of the House to convey their resolution to the governor and relevant authorities.
According to him, the decision of 27 lawmakers was borne out of the desire to serve the state better.
However, the Rivers State Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2023 scaled through the second reading at the plenary.
But on Tuesday, a High Court sitting in Port Harcourt confirmed Hon. Ehie as the authentic Speaker of the State House of Assembly.
Ehie is one of the five lawmakers in the camp of Governor Fubara.
Ehie was suspended and removed as Leader of the House by his colleagues in the wake of the crisis at the House, but his colleagues who are loyal to Fubara elected him Speaker.
The court equally restrained Hon. Amaewhule and Hon. Dumle Maol from parading themselves or interfering with the activities of Ehie as Speaker of the State House of Assembly.
The court also warned against the use of thugs and police officers to forcefully gain access to the Assembly Complex.
Fubara and his estranged political godfather, Nyesom Wike, Federal Capital Territory Minister, have been embroiled in a supremacy battle over who controls the state.
