Rivers State Government has attributed the demolition of the House of Assembly complex to structural defects arising from explosion and fire outbreak.

Joseph Johnson, the state’s commissioner for Information, said this in a statement on Wednesday in Port Harcourt.

Johnson said that the incident rendered the building unfit for human use, saying that there were visible cracks on the walls and the entire structure looked frail and unsafe for legislative business.

He said that professional advice was sought on the integrity of the building, after Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s inspection visit to determine the level of damage.

“After the assessment of the integrity of the complex, experts warned the government that continuing to use the building in its present state would be disastrous.

“The government had tried all cost-saving measures towards the repair of the complex until it bowed to the superior view of rebuilding the complex to a more befitting edifice.

“In the interim, the Rivers Government has provided an alternative venue for the House of Assembly to conduct its affairs pending the rebuilding of the complex,” Johnson said.

The assembly was attacked in October, after an attempt by some lawmakers to initiate impeachment proceedings against the governor.

The assembly crisis was triggered by the feud between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is now the minister of the FCT.

Twenty-seven of the lawmakers loyal to Wike recently defected from the PDP to the APC while the five who are loyal to Governor Fubara got a court order which paved the way for them to control the state assembly.

Governor Fubara presented the state’s 2024 budget proposal to the four-member assembly which had their sitting in the Rivers Government House while the demolition of the assembly complex was going on.

PT