A former aide to Nyesom Wike as governor of Rivers State, Opunabo Inko-Tariah, faulted claims by some political leaders in the state, who protested that Governor Siminalayi Fubara has no right to visit the residential quarters of members of the state House of Assembly, or carry out any rehabilitation on the structure.
Inko-Tariah attributed the reactions of the political leaders and the Martin Amaewhule-led group to politics, wondering why people did not react during the time of Nyesom Wike when he visited judicial and House of Assembly quarters.
He said: “The Rivers State House of Assembly residential quarters is a government property. And the governor is the governor of the state. Nobody can prevent him from visiting that quarters especially if he has information on the integrity of the structure.
“Even if there is no information, the governor has the right to visit the quarters. It is a public facility own by the government. And the governor is the chief executive officer of the State.
“So, just because there is this friction between the former governor, FCT Minister, Wike, and the governor of Rivers State; who complained when Wike visited judiciary quarters, Assembly quarters, who complained? Nobody complained. Why would anybody complain right now?
“And having visited, if the integrity of the structure is questioned, of course, engineers would advice him on what to do – to renovate, pull down or tell him there is no problem with the integrity. I don’t know why it should generate this kind of reaction. It is all politics because of the House of Assembly Complex that was pulled down.
“It is the governor that would tell the House of Assembly where to sit. The governor has the constitutional power to decide where the Assembly would sit.
“The governor decides where to provide and how to provide where the Assembly would sit. It is not the Assembly that would decide where to sit. The governor is in charge of all government property.
He added: “Martin Amaewhule and the rest of them should not see themselves as lawmakers. This is because they did not meet the conditions of defection.”
Ends.