The political crisis rocking Rivers State has taken a turn for worse as lawmakers loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, on Wednesday, elected Hon. Victor Oko Jumbo as Speaker of the House of Assembly.
The new twist came barely 48 hours after Governor Fubara declared that the majority 27 members of the Assembly, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), as non-existent.
Earlier, the opposition APC had instructed its members at the State Parliament – who are now the majority – to impeach the governor.
But reports said some lawmakers converged on Wednesday and elected Rt. Hon. Jumbo – a ranking member representing Bonny Constituency – as the Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly.
Oko becomes the third Speaker under the current administration after Hon. Edison Ehie and Hon. Martin Amaewhule.
The Wednesday arrangements, which produced Jumbo as Speaker, also saw Hon. Sokari Goodboy emerging as the Majority Leader of the Assembly.
At the time of filing this report on Wednesday night, the Martin Amaewhule camp was yet to react to the development.
