The Rivers State House of Assembly overrode Gov. Siminalayi Fubara’s veto and passed four new bills into law.
The decision followed the governor’s refusal to assent to the four new bills earlier sent to him by the House, Persecondnews reports.
The Speaker of the House, Mr. Martin Amaewhule, during a plenary session at the House of Assembly Quarters, read four letters addressed to him by Governor Fubara, where he declined his assent to the four new bills.
The House, relying on Section 100, Subsection 5, said the assent of the governor is not required for the passage into law of the said bills.
The section states that “where the Governor withholds assent and the bill is again passed by a two-thirds majority, the bill shall become a law and the assent of the Governor shall not be required.”
The four laws are: the Rivers Local Government Amendment Law; the Rivers State Traditional Rulers Amendment Law; the Rivers State Advertisement and Use of State-Owned Property Prohibition repeal law; and the Rivers State Funds Management and Financial Autonomy Law.
Amaewhule accused the governor of not planning to conduct local government elections in the state, saying, “by the reasons given by the governor, it means he doesn’t plan to conduct local government elections in the state”.
“The key thing here is that this law removes the power of the governor to appoint caretaker committee chairmen for the local governments. The governor is not happy that we’re removing his powers to appoint caretaker chairmen,” he added.
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