Gov Fubara says, I'm not perturbed by Court of Appeal judgement

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A defiant Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, said there is no cause for alarm, in his first public reaction to the Court of Appeal decision affirming that
Martin Amaewhule remains Speaker and 24 other lawmakers as members of the state House of Assembly.

The governor spoke during an inspection of the reconstruction of the Zonal Hospital project in Bori Town, the headquarters of the Khana Local Government Area of the state.

He said he was not worried by the Court of Appeal decision on the assembly crisis.

He said, “I want to assure every one of you and the good people of Rivers State, that we are not deterred. We have made our promises, we will continue to give you good governance, no matter how difficult it is.”

Only on Thursday, the Court of Appeal in Abuja dismissed the order of a Rivers High Court which restrained Martin Amaewhule and 24 others from parading themselves as lawmakers of the State Assembly.

In a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal panel led by Jimi Olukayode-Bada, held that the lower court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit, as such matters can only be heard and determined before a Federal High Court.

But Fubara said the worst is over, saying he has moved on to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of Rivers State.

“But, like I said before, the worst is over. We are moving on to ensure that we continue to provide what is needed for the development of our state.

“I know that a lot of you will be wondering what is going on and all that. Government has its own challenges. If you go to the book of Psalm 23 verse 5, in the Bible, it said that God prepares a table before you; it can be before anybody. But there is an underlined word that should be noted here: it said ‘in the presence of your enemies’. So, it means that nothing comes easy.”

Fubara, who.believed that every government has its challenges, said the present situation will not deter him from delivering his campaign promises.

He said he did not meet any functional Zonal Hospital when he asdumed office, addig, however, he wanted quality healthcare facilities for the people, he released funds for the reconstruction and expansion of four zonal hospitals.

“You could remember that I did promise our people that one of the most important areas our budget for the year 2025 will focus on is healthcare, education and agriculture.

“As part of what we did promise our people in the year 2024, that all the Zonal Hospitals, we will do our best to ensure that they come up and are put to use, we are here to inspect the extent of work that is ongoing.

“When we met them (hospitals), their conditions were really bad. There was no accommodation for the medical officers, the doctors, the nurses, and we also added a mortuary to have a full package of what a hospital should be,” he stated.

The governor assured that when completed and put to use, the facilities will meet the healthcare needs of the people within the catchment areas, and address key issues in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and policy objectives of his administration.

Fubara was accompanied on the inspection tour by the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Adaeze Ore; the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon Victor Kii, while the Chairman, the Caretaker Committee of the Council, Marvin Yobana was on the ground to receive him and his team.