Rivers Crises: Victor Oko-Jumbo emerges as new speaker as crises deepen

Lawmakers loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara on Wednesday elected Hon. Victor Oko Jumbo as the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

Oko-Jumbo representing Bonny constituency was sworn in on Wednesday, May 8, a day after the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) caretaker chairman in Rivers state, Tony Okocha, made a directive to the 27 Assembly members to impeach Governor Fubara.

Addressing the press after taking the oath of office, the new Speaker said: “We will brief the press, communicate our proceedings to the public and engage them. We’ll make sure they’re part of what we’re doing to ensure that there’s transparency and clarity in the legislative assembly.

“Well, I have already directed the clerk to notify His Excellency the Governor that a new leadership has emerged in the Rivers State House of Assembly and that we are ready to work for the Rivers people.”

Oko-Jumbo takes over from the former factional Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Eddison Ehie, who resigned as both Speaker and member of the House on December 31, 2023 and was later appointed as Chief of Staff to Governor Fubara.

The emergence of the factional Speaker of the State House of Assembly came barely 48 hours after Fubara declared that the majority 27 members of the House, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), as non-existent.