Victor Oko-Jumbo, the member representing Bonny Constituency, has emerged as the factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

Mr Oko-Jumbo, who is believed to be loyal to embattled Governor Siminalayi Fubara, emerged on Wednesday.

Mr Oko-jumbo was elected at a sitting in Port Harcourt by lawmakers loyal to Mr Fubara, according to sources who spoke to PUNCH, with the swearing-in taking place at the Government House, Port Harcourt. 

His emergence came amid the move to impeach Mr Fubara, who has been having a running battle with the former governor of the state and minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Mr Oko-Jumbo took over from the former factional Speaker of the House, Eddison Ehie, who resigned as both Speaker and member of the House last year December.

Mr Ehie, who represented Ahoada-East Constituency 2 in the House, was later appointed as the Chief of Staff (CoS) to Mr Fubara.

Recall that Mr Fubara had declared that the majority of 27 members of the Assembly, who jumped ship from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the state, did not exist.

“Let me say it here, those group of men who claim that they are Assembly members, they are not existing. I want it to be on record.

“I accepted that peace accord to give them a floating (soft-landing). That’s the truth. There is nothing in that peace accord that is a constitutional issue. It is a political solution to a problem. I accepted it because these are people that were visiting me and we were together in my house,” he said on Monday.

The feud between Messrs Fubara and Wike has dominated the media in the past few months with no solution in sight to end the political bickering.

The fight has led to an attempt to remove the governor, after the defection of the 27 members of the ruling PDP to the opposition APC and declaration of their seats vacant.

The conflict also led to the demolition of the State House of Assembly complex.