Tension is rising in Rivers State as the two factions of the State House of Assembly hold parallel sessions this morning.
At the time of this report, lawmakers were arriving at the House of Assembly Quarters amidst a heavy security presence.
Speaker Martin Amaewhule was seen entering the chamber, while the faction led by Victor Oko-Jumbo, which plans to screen a commissioner nominee, was also set to convene. Oko-Jumbo will preside over the other House sitting.
On Sunday night, the Oko-Jumbo-led House, loyal to State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, had sent a letter from the Clerk, Dr. G. M. Gillis-West, inviting the new commissioner nominee, Emmanuel Frank-Fubara, to appear on Monday for screening and confirmation as a member of the State Executive Council.
The pro-Fubara lawmakers are meeting in an improvised Hallowed Chamber at the Government House in Port Harcourt, while the pro-Wike legislators are sitting at the State Assembly official quarters along Aba Road.
It is unclear what the Amaewhule-led lawmakers will discuss in their first sitting since the Court of Appeal recognized the pro-Wike faction as legitimate members of the House.
These sessions come after the bombing of the State House of Assembly Complex on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, in October 2023.
There was also an attempt by the 27 lawmakers loyal to the FCT Minister to impeach Governor Fubara.
During a later plenary, the pro-Wike lawmakers announced their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the political crisis between Fubara and Wike intensified.
The crisis led to a court battle, with the 27 lawmakers fighting to maintain their status.