 Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly, Edison AE, has declared the seats of the law makers who defected vacant. On Monday, 27 law makers said to be loyal to Yesom Wiki, the immediate past governor of the state, left the People's Democratic Party, PDP, for the All Progressive Congress, APC. During plenary Wednesday at the government house following the early morning demolition of the assembly complex, with only law makers loyal to the governor in attendance, AE declared the seats of the defectors vacant. Let's listen. To declare the seat of 25 defected members of the Rivers House of Assembly vacant. This house received correspondence, notices and publications, including letters from 25 members of the Rivers House of Assembly. The former defection from the People's Democratic Party to the All Progressive Congress and we have also confirmed this visually including videos that were posted via media houses and including the social media. We are aware that it is the right members and every Nigerian figures freedom of association, consequently distinguished colleagues. The house haven't deliberated formally on the motion before 1989 with outstanding order and the constitution of 1999 of the federal polo Nigeria's amended. I hereby declare the seats of the following honorable members of the Rivers State House of Assembly vacant. In an interesting twist to the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State, the Martin's Ame Wule-led Rivers State House of Assembly convened a seat in on Thursday. Some 24 hours after Governor Simila Fubara let the demolition of the assembly complex on Musco Road, the Ame Wule group held a plenary session at the auditorium of the assembly quarters on Arba Road despite restraining court order. The seating by the Ame Wule group came just a day after the five-man group led by Edson A.A. declared vacant 27 seats of the lawmakers in the Ame Wule group for defection from the PDPE to the All Progressive Congress. Joining us is Barista Inebehe Efiong. Barista, good evening this evening. Good evening. Barista, what would be your take to, hello? Yes, I'm with you. What would be your take to the unfolding melodrama, very saddening melodrama in Rivers State? It is quite unfortunate but at the same time some of us are not surprised by the canary of shame that is taking place in Rivers State. And that is essentially because we have a weekend where there will be the status of an emperor and believe that everyone has to submit and bow before the throne of judgment. And then when you have a man who says he purchased nomination forms for all elective officials in Rivers State including Fubara. The other assembly members and even the national assembly members. That speaks to a man who is suffering from chronic gut complex. He has assumed the position of the gut in the politics of Rivers State. That is why we cannot comprehend why Fubara will want to have an independent political life or existence. So what is going on is just about greed and selfish interest. Fubara is also desperate to return the position. The Godfather is also desperate to remove him. I think that is what is going on. But in the midst of all that the law also must be respected. Which is one that if the affecting law or former law makers as it were had come to a decision that they can no longer remain on the party on whose platform they contested. The party that sponsored the election. The honourable thing is to resign. We can insorm in the past had stated clearly that one should not become from the party on whose platform one was elected to a different party. That was why when he was deprecating the then governor of San Francisco for becoming from the PDP to the APC. But again, this is how our politicians are. They engage in double-speak. They are hypocritical and eternally dishonest. So I am permitted that bodies say that having defected, they are deemed to have lost their seats. Their seats can be properly declared vacant. And that is what Edith Neghi, who is also laying claim to the position of Pekashi. Partly on the basis of the interim order of the icon of the party seems to have given effect. Okay, Barista, let me quickly go to your colleague Dr. Ubani. Dr. Ubani, are you there? Hello, Dr. Ubani. Amir, are you seeing me? I'm here. Okay, Dr. Ubani. It is obvious that the Esparte order, gotten by one of the factions of the river's status of assembly, seem to logically now have precipitated a situation where a four-man member body starts to approve an 800 billion Naira-plus budget. It went ahead. One could also presume that it was the same order that must have given that that temerity to whoever instructed the demolition of the sanctuary of lawmaking in river state. How would you respond to that, doc? Thank you for having me. I want to say that there are several Esparte orders now that the parties are holding tenaciously to... You remember that there was this Esparte order that was initially obtained by the majority of the 27 members in a budget by justice of motor shop who restrained everyone that they put as a defender from interfering with the legislative function in river state. The minority went to further high court somewhere in Portugal too and sought for an Esparte order. All their reliefs were denied but they got made a pronouncement that one and all parties should be put on notice that was another to that effect. But also some assaulted in the last statement by saying all parties who are mentioned in this particular suit to maintain status quo and they should remain where they were. That was the order that the last judge made in Portugal. But I don't think that that particular that was very satisfactory to the minority members. So what they did was that yesterday they went back to a different court and now got a very substantive order. They now recognize the five members as the proper authority to legislate for river state government or state. And then they now conveyed and from the story we had they now declared the seats of the 27 member or 25 members back at the base of the fact that they defected and the law is very clear as to the show of affection anyway. These only the members of the legislative assembly that made pronouncement as to what should happen if they want to defect for the executive very silent and any other political office that are very silent. For lawmakers the constitution was very expressed that if you want to defect fine the asset will be declared back except you can prove except you can be able to provide evidence that at the time of your defection that there was what you call division within your political party under which we elected and so if you are not able to provide that evidence to show that there is sufficient evidence of division then of course you are said to be declared back at. Now these guys defected and cited all that they were not able to have communication with the secretary of the party or there are cases that are pending both in Lagos in an appujak concerning the leadership also in the secretariat and all that and for that reason they felt that there is enough prices or division that would now warrant them defecting they were all singing and happy that they have defected and all that but these people now have got a court order ex-party saying that they are now the legitimate house and days upon that they sat and they now declare the seat of the other majority members back and so what is playing out actually in reverse is something that we should not smile about we should be really money as a nation because this is clearly very disgraceful very embarrassing not clearly clearly in tandem with the wishes of the people who have elected these men women to represent them and provide good governance and I am so sad again that the court is beginning now to be part of the entire process because the politicians can rubbish any institution and I am so sad that the judiciary is being brought in in such a manner that they are playing to the beat of the politicians I have thought that in such a very serious grave matter that the court would have asked all parties to put on notice and ladies matter to be settled once and for all this issue of ex-party applications and other that the court is now giving to all of them and they are all holding tenaciously to it we create more confusion and not augur well both for the judiciary and for the country and for the state so I am so sad I come back to you I come back to you doctor let me go to barista barista in the matters pertaining rivers one really has to be very careful even the way one asks questions so I want to separate or compartmentalize issues now let me take the issue of the demolition or the optics of the demolition of the edifice that symbolizes the an independent arm of government by by agents of another arm whose principal whose principal could be said to be using the demolition to protect his own position how does that look to somebody who is dispassionate who is not who is not partisan how does that look to you especially as somebody of the law it is very responsible development I don't understand why the complex has to be demolished if there are structural effects I am not sure that demolishing the the entire structure the way it has been done will stop the disagreements I do not see any need for that I do not subscribe to that I do not support that whatever the intention is it is very suspicious the timing is wrong the optics is wrong and I feel that Fubara may have gone too far you do not simply walk into the chambers of parliament and demolish it because you claim you want to carry out renovation that is also even supposed to happen without the authorization of the assembly itself again this is the kind of country we live in where where lawlessness is the other of the day where governors in Nigeria see themselves as demigods as people who cannot be questioned the truth of the matter remains that we do not have an independent legislature in the country it is worse at the state level all the houses of assemblies in this country are essentially a predators of the governors and that is the basis for what is happening in rivers Fubara wants to have control of the assembly and then we can also want to control the assembly so this is just about the interest, the political interest of two individuals unfortunately the people of river state will pay a price for it and they are already paying a price for it Doc Doctor O'Barney Doctor O'Barney Doctor 100 billion Naira plus budget approved less than 24 hours apart from 800 billion Naira plus budget approved less than 24 hours we now have a situation where a president has been said that if I am a governor in any state of the federation and a group of individuals who think because they are members of the status of assembly wants to hold a position different from mine the best I could do is either to go and remove the roof or go and crush the building and I hope we are not inviting something untoward in this democratic experimentation if we are going in that direction how would you respond to that sir I am very surprised that you are saying that this is a president this is not a president the president has already been established before now could you recollect what happened in the death state when that motion was also remember what happened I think he also used some similar style that has been employed by his brother governor that in demolition this is not the first time he will remember chimarroke and the governor that he took chimarroke when he became governor his goal for that was jimwobudu and jimwobudu had majority of the members trying to impeach chimarroke and jimwobudu he had a few members in his custody and then presented a budget also that was passed by that minority and iran is state with that until he now regain proper position of the political and defeated his godfather so what is happening sir let's start from the beginning if we have a country that is literally functioning well all institutions are functioning well some of the legalities that is playing out in our country if we have a very strong judiciary very critical and have a very strong legislative assembly very critical all these legalities that it seems fair because nobody who is only a tree that is aware that they are going to cut him and he move he stands there waiting for them to tomorrow no, you have to take some measures in order to self guide yourself and he also did it so this is not even the first time bengadania also so it is only a tree so what happens is that let me finish sir if you have a fair legislative assembly that is very very strong and knows what is right and wrong they will give any person bring any pitchable grounds and all that they will look at it and before even they follow the entire process and they will take it to the judiciary for the children to constitute committee to look at it but he don't have it those people will just call anything now in pitchable before you know the man is gone we don't have it anyway what is giving the pitchable offence and all that so the man will not wait and watch and he said he is being dethroned and taken out so what he is doing now is survival of the pitters I am not saying what he is doing is right but we have a problem and we need to address those fundamental problems we don't have institutions and we don't have fairness in the system there is no employment of process of fairness in everything we do and that is why what is happening we really have to go the time is quite against us we want to say thank you to you for the illumination you brought into this Barista Barista Efion we also want to say thank you so much for the sacrifice you have to make because it is like we are busy when we cut off with you thank you thank you