[VIDEO] Wike hosts suspended Rivers lawmakers in UK

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Monday, hosted members of the suspended Rivers State House of Assembly.

In a video shared Tuesday on X, the minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, said his principal played host to the lawmakers in the United Kingdom at a dinner during their stay for a Legislative Capacity Building Course.

Olayinka said the minister departed Nigeria Sunday night to host the meeting.

“Yesterday, the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, hosted Rivers State House of Assembly members who are in the United Kingdom for Legislative Capacity Building, to a dinner.

“Wike left Nigeria on Sunday night after visiting his political friends and associates in Port Harcourt, Rivers State,” he said.

In a statement last week, Martins Wachukwu, Special Assistant on Media to Martin Amaewhule, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, said the UK tour aims to enhance lawmakers’ legislative skills.

Amaewhule was said to have declared open the 10th Rivers Assembly Legislative Tour of the United Kingdom on Friday.

He claimed that the legislative tour would allow the house to learn new things outside the shores of Nigeria, which would improve the capacity of members for the tasks ahead.

The opening ceremony, which was said to be the first day of a five-day tour, took place in Central London and focused on “Legislative Dynamics in the Presidential and Parliamentary Systems.”

Rivers State has been embroiled in a political crisis stemming from the power struggle between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Wike, his predecessor.

On March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared emergency rule in the state, citing Section 305(5) of the Nigerian Constitution, 1999 and suspended Governor Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all members of the state House of Assembly for six months while announcing Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as the sole administrator of the state.

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