Opinion: Reps’ Decision On Rivers Police Crisis Was ‘Remote Controlled’ - Lawmaker + VIDEO

Shortly after the House of Representatives voted for the takeover of the River State House of Assembly by the National Assembly, Mr Chinda, a member of the House of Representatives, stated the constitutional provision upon which the decision was reached states that federal legislators can only step in when the state lawmakers are unable to meet. He stated that in an interview to Channel Television.

“If you look at the provisions of section 11 subsections 4 which is hinged on section 11 subsections 5 which said that it only when the House of Assembly is unable to meet that the National Assembly will take over its functions,” he claimed.

Mr Chinda argues that this is not the case with the Rivers State House of Assembly, which according to him, met on Tuesday and passed approved a budget for the state government.

“If they met yesterday, would it then not be too hasty for the National Assembly to decide today that the House of Assembly is unable to meet and therefore to take over its functions?” he asked.

Commenting the approval of the House of Representatives to direct the Inspector General of Police to redeploy the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mbu, Mr Chinda said this decision is also unfortunate. He said the police commissioner fell out with the state governor, Chibuike Ameachi because he refused to arrest people who are against the governor.

“The problem is that, consistently, the commissioner has refused to arrest people in the camp of people that are opposed to the governor and that is not going down well with the state,” Mr Chinda added.

Source: Legit.ng