State Assembly suspends the Chief Judge, crisis descends upon Rivers

The Rivers State House of Assembly has suspended Chibuzor Amadi, the chief judge of the state.

Assembly members who back Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of the state, are said to be the ones behind the suspension.

Fubara reportedly received instructions to designate an acting chief judge immediately.

The turbulence that has followed reports of attempts to remove Fubara from office has reached its latest phase with this.

Fire had earlier entirely damaged the main chamber and much of the assembly complex.

The house on Monday dismissed its leader, Edison Ehie, allegedly as part of a conspiracy to assassinate the governor.

READ ALSO: Ehie was ousted as House Leader in the Rivers Assembly

In addition, the state executive council is said to have been dissolved and all of the local government chairpersons in the state to have lost their jobs.

After addressing a crowd of young people outside the government house earlier in the day, a defiant Fubara bounded into the house of assembly complex.

As the governor’s motorcade approached the complex, tear gas fumes and police water cannons surrounded them.

Outside the assembly complex, the governor declared, “Let them come out and tell Rivers people the offence I have committed to warrant any impeachment.”

The latest drama has raised rumours of a falling out between Fubara and Nyesom Wike, the state’s immediate former governor and current minister of the federal capital territory (FCT).

The spokesperson for Fubara, Boniface Onyedi, was not reachable and did not answer calls or texts sent to his mobile phone.