The House of Representatives has vehemently denied allegations that its members received $5,000 each to support President Bola Tinubu's state of emergency declaration in Rivers State. Deputy spokesman Hon. Philip Agbese described the claims as "false, malicious, and emanating from the pit of hell".
Agbese emphasized that the House's decision was guided by patriotism and a commitment to restoring peace in Rivers State. He explained that the resolution was made after extensive deliberations on the security and political situation in the state, in line with their constitutional responsibilities to safeguard national stability.
"The allegation that members of the House of Representatives were induced with $5,000 to pass a resolution is unfair to the Parliament," Agbese said. "What we did was to align ourselves with what I call the wisdom of King Solomon".
Agbese also highlighted that the House made key adjustments to the President's emergency proclamation before ratifying it. These adjustments include the National Assembly taking over legislative duties of the Rivers Assembly during the state of emergency and the possibility of reducing the emergency period from 180 days if the parties resolve their differences sooner.
The House also resolved to constitute a tri-partite committee to bring the warring groups in Rivers State to a roundtable for an amicable resolution. Agbese assured Nigerians that the House will always work in their interest and urged them to continue supporting the parliament.
On the controversy over quorum, Agbese confirmed that the House satisfied the requirement with 243 members in attendance during the exercise.
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