Lawmaker calls on Speaker RSHA to resign

The Lawmaker representing Ahoada East constituency 1,  in the River State House of Assembly,  Martins Mannah has called for the resignation of the speaker of the Rivers state house of Assembly Rt. Hon Ikuinyi Uwaji-Ibani for alleged poor leadership qualities.

Mannah also reportedly made the call for the alleged failure of the Speaker  to pay the assembly staff salaries for almost two years.

He made the call on Tuesday in Port Harcourt,  the state capital.

He lamented  the absence of adequate training and workshops opportunities for the state lawmakers, which according to him,  has  affected negatively the performances of Legislatures and legislations in the state.

He said,  “Over  80% of Lawmakers in this (8th) Assembly are green horns,  and as  legislatures we are expected to go for seminars, workshops and conventions to improve our capacity, but unfortunately since we resumed, this is our third year, we have only travelled once for the commonwealth parliamentary association CPA meeting, we have only gone for only one seminar, whereas other states that produce only onions and water melon are able to sponsor their lawmakers to all seminars, workshops and CPA meetings even to foreign countries ”

“The speaker has failed to deliver all this trainings to members, now as new members how do we contribute on the floor of the house when we have not been adequately trained , some members do not even know how to move motions”

“For 17 months staff have not been paid, our staff have literally turned to beggars, this edifice was built by former governor Peter Odili, yet cannot be maintained by the speaker, even when the present governor Nyesom Wike  gave him N600m to renovate both the quarters and the complex, the speaker never did it, look at how the complex is in a mess, everywhere is smelling, then someone would ask us not to talk.” he lamented.

Speaking further said,  “Today I felt that why we are talking about the protection of Rivers people against the Federal Government, there is also need for us to remove the worm in our own eyes before removing the one in other people’s eyes.

“If this is what we have to offer, I want to dissociated myself from this kind of assembly, this is not a proper assembly, we have three arms of government, the executive is functioning very well, the judiciary is functioning very well but look at the Rivers State House of Assembly, is this actually an assembly, most people don’t even know their left from their right, we have kept quiet for so long and now the tenure is ending, nothing has been achieved, the only thing we know how to do is when the governor sends bills, we deliberate on the governor’s request and that is all, so it is bothering me.

“If the speaker knows that he is not competent to lead the house, because we cannot come here and fail because of one man’s lackadaisical attitude, if he know that he cannot pilot this house, he should honorably resign let another man takeover.” the Lawmaker concluded.

The drama however started at plenary Monday,  while the debate on  the damages done by irate Rivers youths at the judiciary complex was going on.

The aggrieved lawmaker had been reorganized by the Speaker to make contribution in support of the motion to petition the United Nations (UN),  President Muhammad Buhari and European Union(EU), for assistance, but to the chagrin of the Speaker,  Hon.  Mannah deviated to the topic earlier stated but was consistently over-ruled by the Speaker who maintained he was speaking out of order and must sit down.

He later obeyed after much efforts and another Lawmaker was already on his feet talking.

Efforts to get the reaction of the Speaker as at press time failed,  his media assistant when contacted on phone promised to send it the Speaker’s  reaction but to no avail.

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