18th December, 2015
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
The Speaker of Rivers House, Ikunyi Owaji-Ibani, representing Andoni Constituency resign a moment ago shortly after presiding over the 2016 budget presentation by Governor Nyesom Wike at about 5:30pm today.
The Speaker made the surprise announcement after presiding over the hurried presentation of the 2016 citing “personal reasons”.
Immediately after the resignation of Hon. Ikuinyi Owaji Igbanyi as the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, a new Speaker stepped in with members of the Assembly unanimously endorsing Daboturidima Adams, the member representing Okrika State Constituency as the new Speaker.
Hon. Adams represents Okrika State Constituency where Mrs Patience Jonathan, the Wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan hails from.
It is not clear the remote reasons for the former Speaker’s resignation because he represents Andoni where Uche Secondus, the acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, hails.
Speculations are rife that the Speaker may have been eased out to satisfy Mrs Patience Jonathan.
Others speculate that the former Speaker’s resignation may also be based on the fact that he could no longer bear the pressure of being called the Speaker of “A rubber stamp House of Assembly”.
At the time of this report meeting with top stakeholders of the state PDP and the state government presided over by Governor Wike was going on.