Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) says it is unlawful for members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to meet outside of the assembly complex.
Falana stated this while reacting to a recent executive order signed by Fubara for the temporary relocation of the Rivers State House of Assembly to an auditorium within the Government House, Port Harcourt.
Falana stressed that any sitting by the Rivers State House of Assembly outside its complex is not recognised by the law.
Falana said the move by Fubara negates the principle of separation of power, adding the legislature is independent of the executive.
“I would like to assume that the governor issued that executive order before the intervention of the High Court in Rivers State. The House is independent of the executive, so the governor cannot tell the house where to sit,” Falana said on ChannelsTV.
“This was very clear in the Oyo State case which led to the impeachment of Governor Ladoja whereby under the influence of the late Chief Lamidi Adedibu, the House was alleged to have sat in a hotel and the Supreme Court made that point abundantly clear that an impeachment carried out in a hotel deviates clearly from the Constitution.
“So any sitting of the House outside the premise of the House of Assembly complex will not be known to law; will not be recognized by law.”
Falana noted that if there was a need for a sitting elsewhere, the members of a “properly constituted House of Assembly” would have to decide where to carry out their meetings.
