Tinubu’s Aide Criticises Pro-Fubara 3-Member Rivers State Assembly, Labels It An ‘Aberration’
Ajayi told SaharaReporters on Tuesday that he was speaking from a legal standpoint, questioning how three people could form a House of Assembly and pass laws for a state.
Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, has condemned the ongoing situation in Rivers State, where three lawmakers constitute the State House of Assembly.
He described the development as a serious threat to Nigeria’s democratic principles.
Ajayi told SaharaReporters on Tuesday that he was speaking from a legal standpoint, questioning how three people could form a House of Assembly and pass laws for a state.
He said, “Yeah I just tweeted; I tweeted in the point of law there is no big thing to it. It’s my personal opinion. It’s my personal view and I assumed that’s the position of law.”
“How can three people form House of Assembly and be passing laws for a state? It is an aberration. It is my personal opinion, it is not something that came up during meeting with Ogoni people today,” Ajayi added.
Meanwhile, in a post shared on his X account on Tuesday, Ajayi expressed his dismay, stating, “The Nigerian Constitution and its drafters could never have imagined this aberration.
“Our democracy should never degenerate to a point where we normalise 3 people serving as a State House of Assembly.
“Our constitution and the drafters couldn’t have imagined this aberration.”
“One man is the Speaker and the two others are the members who will pass laws and budget of a state,” he said.
The statement comes amid a growing rift between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who currently serves as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
However, the conflict has reportedly escalated to influence the composition and functioning of the state assembly.
Ajayi warned that Nigeria’s democracy must not degenerate to a level where such anomalies are normalised, calling for urgent measures to restore proper legislative practices in the state.
Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that President Bola Tinubu was holding a high-level meeting with Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State and key leaders from Ogoniland at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
