Senate approves takeover of Rivers Assembly – Says Mbu must go

The Senate, on Thursday, voted that the National Assembly should take over the legislative powers of the Rivers State House of Assembly, in accordance with Section11(4) of the 1999 Constitution.

The lawmakers, after a closed-door session, also urged the state lawmakers allegedly plotting to unseat embattled Governor Rotimi Amaechi to drop such plan in the interest of peace and democracy.

The Senate specifically resolved that “the National Assembly should, as a matter of urgency, take over the functions and duties of the Rivers State House of Assembly, pursuant to Section 11, subsection 4 of the 1999 Constitution, pending the resolution of the crisis and restoration of peace in Rivers State.”

It also approved the immediate removal of the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Joseph Mbu, just as it called on the three senators representing the state to ensure that peace and order was restored in the state as soon as possible.

The Senate also recommended that the inspector General of Police and the Chief of Army Staff should ensure the restoration of security personnel of Governor Amaechi and all those entitled to same.

The resolution followed the adoption of the report of its Senator Kabiru Gaya-led committee on states and local government affairs, which probed the recent mayhem in the state legislature.