“How I escaped assassination with my family”

-Factional Rivers Speaker

Emmanuel Nlewedum, Port Harcourt

Factional Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie, yesterday, narrated how he and his family escaped being assassinated by some armed uniform men in his Port Harcourt residence.

Report had it that some armed men on Sunday night at about 11pm attempted to invade the home of the Lawmaker representing Ahoada East constituency 2, at the 10th Rivers Assembly.

Ehie, who addressed newsmen on Monday evening said he has been under series of attacks since Monday 30th October, 2023 for standing against the impeachment of the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara by some lawmakers.

Recall that the crisis that rocked the state legislative arm in October divided the house into two factions, with Ehie emerging as Speaker in the faction loyal to Governor Fubara.

The lawmaker stated that since his emergence as the speaker of the assembly he has been under attack with several threats coming his way.

According to Ehie, “Yesterday (Sunday) at about past 11pm, after engagements, I moved upstairs and we had put the children to bed and I was interacting with my wife when we got alerted by the security attached to me that there was an attempted invasion by men on mufti and some in uniform and I quickly got up from the room and came downstairs.

“Not too long, we started hearing the noise of the attempt by these security men in their Hilux vehicles to forcefully gain entrance to my residence but they were being repelled by the security personnel.

“To our greatest surprise, these security operatives led by one SP Irefeike London and DSP Kasarachi ordered their men and started shooting sporadically. In fact, you can confirm from the neighbours in this vicinity that nobody could sleep last night. But to the glory of God the security operative ably resisted them.”

Edison Ehie stated that the attack was connected to the political crisis in the state, noting that he would remain focused and fearless on his stand.

“For whatsoever reason which of course we all know is connected to the political upheavals in the state they do not care about people’s family they now attack because obviously the plan was to forcefully enter into my residence, shoot and maybe kill everybody.

“But there is something about me which maybe their sponsor did not tell them. Everybody who knows me knows that I am dead to fear.

“All these started after what happened on the 30th of October when some self-serving lawmakers who are elected to represent their constituencies and ensure dividends of democracy, make laws including oversight functions, attempted in a macavilian way to impeach the governor elected to represent millions of Rivers people. That is a joke taken too far, for goodness sake.

“And since after that day because we stood behind the governor to say evil cannot reign over good in Rivers State, I have come under attacks threats, especially after I was elected speaker of the 10th Rivers House of Assembly.

“I and my family have been under threats, false allegations have suddenly started springing up against me, and other of our supporters who are on the side and part of justice, he said.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Tunji Disu, told Journalists earlier in the day while reacting to the incident that preliminary investigation carried out by police has shown that there was no attack on the said residence.