Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Mr. Ikuinyi Owaji-Ibani, said he remains the speaker of the House despite Monday’s court ruling that nullified his election and 19 other lawmakers.
Owaji-Ibani maintained that neither him nor his fellow lawmakers had been sacked based on the recent judgement delivered by the State Election Petitions Tribunal.
He explained that though the tribunal had made its decision, he had filed an appeal against the ruling, adding that he and other lawmakers, whose elections were nullified, were still members of the House.
The Speaker maintained that he and the State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, were freely elected by his people during the April 2015 general elections.
“All I want to say is that ‘I, Rt. Hon Ikuinyi Owaji-Ibani, have appealed against the judgement of the lower court and that if it comes to Andoni where I come from, I know my people and my people know me.
“Going by the several judgements given by different panels at the Rivers State Election Tribunal, I would say that the Rt. Hon. Ikuinyi Owaji-Ibani, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, was not sacked by any election petition tribunal.
“You cannot insulate democracy from justice and if we are talking of democracy, we mean freewill, which the people have done by voting Governor Nyesom Wike and also the Speaker and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly through their (people) freewill during the general elections.
“Rather, what happened was that a tribunal gave ruling in its opinion against my election and that of 20 other members of the Assembly and none of the members were also sacked by the tribunal.
“I’m still the speaker Rivers State house of Assembly and the other members are still members of the Rivers State House of Assembly,” Owaji-Ibani stressed.
Expressing his faith in the judiciary, the Speaker described the judiciary as the foundation of every good society.
He pointed out that the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Attahiru Jega, had adjudged the election in Rivers free and fair.
“In the circumstance, I do not believe that the judiciary as one of the key institutions of the state can subsume itself and allow personal interests to override its very essence, the essence of having the judiciary in the polity to make sure that everyone is equal before the law,” Owaji-Ibani stated.
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