The Rivers State House of Assembly has passed three significant bills aimed at enhancing the state’s legislative framework and governance. The bills were approved during the Assembly’s 136th Legislative Sitting on Friday and will be sent to Governor Siminalayi Fubara for assent.
The newly passed legislation includes the Rivers State House of Assembly (Powers and Privileges) Bill, 2025; the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) Bill, 2025; and the Rivers State Local Government Bill, 2025.
According to The Guardian, the Rivers State House of Assembly (Powers and Privileges) Bill, 2025 aims to grant the legislature specific powers, privileges, and immunity to facilitate the effective discharge of its legislative responsibilities.
The RSIEC Bill, 2025 seeks to repeal the existing State Electoral Law of 2018 and enact a new framework aligned with the Electoral Act of 2022 and the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, defining the structure, composition, and functions of the electoral commission.
Similarly, the Rivers State Local Government Bill, 2025 proposes the repeal of the state’s Local Government Laws of 2018, 2023, and 2024, replacing them with updated legislation tailored to contemporary local governance needs.
Speaker of the House, Martin Chike Amaewhule, emphasized that the Powers and Privileges Bill aims to domesticate the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act of 2017, ensuring that the Assembly operates with the necessary authority.
On the RSIEC Bill, Amaewhule stressed its importance in aligning the state’s electoral processes with national laws. He also underscored the need for a revised Local Government Law to reflect constitutional provisions, reaffirming the Assembly’s commitment to enacting laws that serve the people’s best interests.
Commending his colleagues for their dedication, he stated: “For sacrificing your recess in the interest of the people, history will be kind to you.”
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has cautioned against any move to impeach Governor Fubara, describing such an attempt as a “futile and dangerous ploy” bound to fail.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, on Friday, HURIWA asserted that Fubara was democratically elected and warned that any unconstitutional efforts to remove him would face strong resistance from the people.
The group specifically called on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to refrain from influencing the 27 lawmakers loyal to him to initiate impeachment proceedings against the governor.
“The FCT Minister should see himself as a national leader, a unifier, and not a divider. It does not befit his current status as a senior cabinet member in the government of President Bola Tinubu to be at the center of an intra-state political crisis. History will not be kind to him if he encourages his loyalists in the Rivers State House of Assembly to attempt an impeachment that could plunge the state into prolonged political instability,” the statement read.
