The Martin Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly and the faction loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara have initiated a fresh round of crisis in the state.

On Tuesday, the Amaewhule faction declared the seats of four of their colleagues loyal to Fubara vacant.

The Appeal Court in Abuja recently granted legality to the Amaewhule leadership of the Assembly.

In its reaction, the Victor Oko-Jumbo-led pro-Fubara lawmakers insisted Amaewhule and his group had ceased to be lawmakers in the state.

The group called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct a by-election to fill the vacant seats.

The new power play followed the battle for the political control of the state between Fubara and the immediate-past governor of the state and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Those whose seats were declared vacant by the lawmakers loyal to Wike were  Edison Ehie, who is now the Chief of Staff to the Governor and three others, citing their absence from sittings for 56 days.

Amaewhule, who stated this while presiding over plenary in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, said Ehie did not properly write to inform the House of his new office, and as such, his seat had been declared vacant.

The resolution of the House followed a motion by its leader, Major Jack.

In a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Tuesday by the Special Assistant on Media to the Speaker,  Martins Wachukwu, the assembly declared the seats of the three lawmakers vacant for absenteeism.

The statement read, “In compliance with the combined provisions Section of 109 (1)(e),(f) and Section 109 (2) of the 1999 Constitution as altered, the Rivers State House of Assembly, on Tuesday, at its 56th Legislative Sitting of the Second Session, declared vacant the seats of Hon Edison Ogerenye Ehie, Hon Victor Oko Jombo, Hon Adolphus Timothy Oruibienimigha and Hon Sokari Goodboy Sokari, representing Ahoada East II, Bonny, Opobo/Nkoro and Ahoada West Constituency respectively.

other members, that the seats of these four members be declared vacant for their continued refusal or failure to attend and participate in legislative meetings of the House, without just cause for a period amounting in aggregate, to more than one-third of the total number of days the House met in the first session of the Tenth Assembly and for also being absent in the past 56 legislative sittings of the Second Session.”

Commenting on the motion, Amaewhule recalled that after the peace parley that was held at the instance of President Bola Tinubu, the House withdrew its impeachment notice on the governor and also recalled the four suspended members, yet they had obstinately refused to attend sittings of the House.

When the Speaker put the question, the House voted in the affirmative that the seats of the four members be declared vacant and the Independent National Electoral Commission be notified to conduct elections to fill the vacancies.Amaewhule said that given the fact the Court of Appeal upheld all the injunctive orders given by the Federal High Court, the governor should present the 2024 Appropriation Bill to the House again.