Last week was full of dramas in Rivers State over the political crisis rocking the state. First, the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly rejected the crucial meeting initiated by Governor Siminalayi Fubara for reconciliation. The lawmakers, who are loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, cited procedural irregularities in the invitation for their decision.
Fubara, through the Secretary to the State Government, Tammy Danagogo, had sent the invitation letter with Ref. No. GO/SSG/ADM/125/72 of March 7, 2025 and titled: ‘Meeting Between the Governor of Rivers State and the Honourable Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly,’ to the Speaker of the assembly, Martin Amaewhule, scheduled for Monday, March 10 at the Governor’s Office in Port Harcourt.
However, speaking on behalf of the 27 lawmakers, Isaiah Opuende, who represents Akuku-Toru Constituency 2, criticised the governor for allegedly inviting them through social media. He recalled that when the political crisis began, their principal had warned that a time would come for both sides to go their separate ways.
He also questioned the mode of invitation transmission, arguing that it was not feasible for lawmakers to honour the governor’s request.
Apparently mocking the governor’s approach, Opuende said: “It is time for us to determine our ‘dey.’ When your ‘dey’ started, our principal said the time for details of your ‘dey’ would come. Now, your ‘dey’ has come.”
“How can you write a letter to the House of Assembly and put it on social media and expect us to come? The governor should write to us the proper way,” he said.
The scheduled meeting came on the heels of the recent judgment of the Supreme Court, which barred the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Accountant General of the Federation and other agencies from releasing funds to the government of Rivers State until it purges itself of what the court describes as flagrant disobedience to court orders.
After receiving the Certified True Copy of the judgment, the governor instructed the Secretary to the State Government, Danagogo, to invite the lawmakers for a reconciliation meeting, but they declined the invitation.
Tensions, however, escalated when the lawmakers demanded that the governor present the 2025 budget and set a deadline for him to dismiss commissioners and board members who had not been screened by the House. Additionally, they summoned the Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission to appear before them.
During plenary, assembly, presided over by Amaewhule, unanimously agreed for the arrest warrant on Chairman of RSIEC, Justice Enebeli (rtd) and four of his commissioners. They said the arrest warrant followed the expiration of the 72-hour ultimatum given to them to appear before the assembly.
The lawmakers suggested that the governor had possibly missed an opportunity for possible negotiations.
They referenced a previous letter from the House of Assembly, which could have reopened dialogue between the legislative and executive arms of government.
They accused the governor of engaging in “hide and seek” tactics, which they considered inappropriate and unnecessary, especially when the focus should be on achieving peace in the state.
The lawmakers explained that Monday’s date for the meeting had already been slated for a plenary session with the chairman of RSIEC and his commissioners, a sitting they considered a priority for the legislature.
However, when the governor decided to visit the lawmakers last Wednesday, another drama ensued at the assembly quarters as the entrance gate was locked.
It was gathered that the security personnel at the quarters upon sighting the governor’s convoy hurriedly locked the gates.
The action of the security personnel, it was learnt, was hinged on the position that there was no official communication between the governor and the lawmakers.
However, Fubara said he had personally communicated his coming to Amaewhule through a letter and tried to call him on the phone since Tuesday.
To further humiliate Governor Fubara and worsen the crisis, by Friday, the Amaewhule-led assembly adjourned sittings indefinitely even though they knew that he had written to them that he would visit them by Wednesday, March 19 to represent the 2025 Budget.
Amid the controversy of the shunning of the governor’s invitation by the lawmakers, the factional APC chairman, Tony Okocha, who is a staunch loyalist of Wike, advised the governor to resign or be impeached.
Also, at a media parley in Abuja last Wednesday, Wike gave a subtle approval for the governor’s impeachment, saying the heavens would not fall if the assembly impeaches the governor for alleged impeachable offences including withholding their salaries for months, adding that the governor brought it upon himself.
The minister said if the Amaewhule-led assembly wasn’t disposed to peace, the assembly would have gone on a six-month recess after the Supreme Court verdict. He criticised the letter written to the assembly by Fubara, saying he should have done better.
The FCT minister criticised the governor for writing to the assembly, stating that he should have called Amaewhule and his team to arrange a meeting.
Many believe that it is rhetoric like this that is emboldening the lawmakers to be humiliating the governor.
While they said they were not begrudging Amaewhule and his colleagues for asserting themselves, their method may end up frustrating governance in the state.
Stakeholders advised that they should tone down for the sake of peace in the state as a full-blown conflict will only worsen the already tense situation in the state.
You’re down by two-zero – Wike mocks Fubara
As the political crisis continues to fester, Wike has mocked Fubara over recent developments in the state.
Wike, who boasted of his victory in the political battle between him and the governor, said, “You are down by two-zero,” referring to Fubara.
This was as a Niger Delta militant group issued a fresh threat to blow up pipelines over a recent Supreme Court judgment ordering the seizure of the state and local government allocations.
Speaking on Saturday while addressing his supporters during a grand reception organised for him by Ijaw stakeholders from the Kalabari Kingdom on the platform of the NEW Associates, Wike maintained that he would not stop the state Assembly from carrying out its functions.
He said, “There is still more to come,” predicting more woes for the governor following the recent Supreme Court judgment that asked the Central Bank of Nigeria to stop federal allocation to the state and its local governments, with the validation of the Martins Amaewhile-led House of Assembly.
Speaking further, Wike blamed the political crisis in the state on Fubara, who he accused of betraying those who worked for him to emerge as the governor.
“I was trying to avoid the crisis; I have always told him (Fubara) not to go through this route. They told him to seize the salary and allowances of Assembly members.
“For more than one year, these people had no income to pay their children’s school fees, to feed their families and he was jubilating. People were encouraging you that nothing will happen, but something has happened.
“I’m not going to stop the Assembly from performing their constitutional duties, the Assembly members should be allowed to perform their constitutional duties; people who love peace do not threaten other people. The more you threaten, the more the problem.
“Assembly people must do their work. Whatever they deem necessary and fit that is constitutional, they should do. I’m not going to stop anybody from carrying out his or her power, I will not do that.
“With all our efforts and our sweat, we cannot be pushed out. All of you suffered, and somebody cannot just come because they gave him power overnight and say we should get out.
“If you watch all those around the governor, they are people who are naturally ingrates. Nobody who is not an ingrate will associate with the governor with what is going on.
“Only those who believe that they do not appreciate and thank God for any good thing will associate with themselves,” he said.
Wike vowed to deliver the state to President Bola Tinubu in 2027, boasting that, “I have defeated them before and I will continue to defeat them. So, for me, I have made it clear that this state is supporting President Bola Tinubu.”
Militant group issues fresh threat to attack oil pipelines
A militant group, Niger Delta Ground Fighters, issued a fresh threat to attack oil pipelines over the Supreme Court’s judgment ordering the seizure of the state’s allocation.
This comes barely a week after the Niger Delta Rescue Movement threatened to disrupt oil production if the Federal Government did not intervene in the political crisis affecting the state.
The militants accused Wike of fuelling the crisis, calling on President Bola Tinubu to intervene.
In a viral video seen on Saturday, the militants, armed with AK-47 rifles and other weapons, chanted solidarity songs and vowed to take drastic action if their demands were not met.
The leader of the group, who identified himself as ‘Commander No Good Advice,’ expressed frustration over what he described as Wike’s interference with the governance of Rivers State.
“We have been in the creek, but Sim (Governor Siminalayi Fubara) told us to come out and embrace peace. Now, some people don’t want that peace. If they don’t release our allocation, we will vandalise every pipeline in Rivers State. There will be no peace,” he said.
However, Wike dismissed the militants’ threats, insisting that such actions would fail.
Wike insisted that Niger Delta must embrace dialogue and intellectual engagement rather than threats of sabotage.
“Nobody should be associating anything evil with the Ijaw people. Ijaw people are not evil people. Every time something happens, the only thing you hear is, ‘You will blow up pipelines.’ No. Engage people intellectually, engage people diplomatically, and you will get to where you want to get to,” he said.
Wike maintained that threats and illegal actions would not change the political landscape in the state.
Instead, the FCT minister urged aggrieved parties to pursue their grievances through constitutional means.
He said, “The world that we are in today has passed the stage of issuing threats to anybody. I told you that the members of the Assembly will not lose their seats, have they lost their seats? I told you that the shenanigan they called a local government election will not stand. Is it there today?”
The FCT minister denied calling the Ijaw people the “minority of minorities”, saying what he meant was that Fubara emerged as the governor of the state “not because of the strength or power of Ijaw, but because we all agreed to work together.”
Kalabari women vandalise Wike’s billboards
Earlier, some angry Ijaw women of Kalabari extraction vandalised giant billboards bearing the pictures of Wike.
The billboards were erected at the junction leading to Abalama.
Hundreds of women decked in black attire with white scarf had in the early hours of Saturday barricaded the road leading to Abalama with the intention of denying the Minister access to the community.
The protesters were armed with placards bearing inscriptions such as ‘Kalabari, take your stand now!’, ‘Wike, what do you want in Kalabari land?’
The protesters were later dispatched by security personnel that accompanied the FCT minister to the venue of the reception.
ACF identifies leadership failure, politics of ego as factors responsible for crisis
Meanwhile, a former Secretary General of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Anthony Sani, has identified leadership failure and politics of ego as the two biggest factors responsible for the current political crisis rocking Rivers State.
Sani urged the warring factions to embrace peace in the interest of Rivers people and the nation’s democracy.
He said, “What is happening in Rivers State is a clear testament to the leadership’s failure to follow the rule of law, which has yielded to a power play, spurred more by ego and self-serving.
“If the leaders in Rivers State are aware of their place in the order of things in that state, the situation would not degenerate into the current level.”
Taking a slightly different position is rights lawyer, Mike Kebonkwu, who said that the governor’s position is now weakened by the judgment of the Supreme Court.
“It is sad that the Federal Government is looking the other way because of what it stands to gain in 2027. Bullying people like they are doing now is wrong. I expect Fubara to fight on until the very last,” he said.
On his part, public affairs analyst, Nze Nze, called on President Tinubu to caution Wike, stressing that as a duly elected governor, Fubara should be allowed to execute the social contract he had with the Rivers people.
PANDEF berates Wike
In another development, the Pan Niger Delta Elders’ Forum has condemned the attacks by Wike, calling them divisive and harmful to the ongoing peace efforts in Rivers State.
The minister had publicly criticised the organisation in a media interview, claiming it was motivated by personal interests rather than its mission to promote stability and development in the South-South region.
Wike also referred to PANDEF as “the worst organisation for anyone to rely on.”
On March 11, a high-profile PANDEF delegation met with President Bola Tinubu, urging him to intervene in the worsening Rivers State standoff.
Reacting to this matter in a statement, PANDEF National Chairman, Godknows Igali, stated that the minister’s derogatory claim that PANDEF was “the worst organisation ever” was false.
Igali voiced concern about Wike’s insult to the integrity of the respected traditional rulers, statesmen, and business leaders who represented the region.
He said, “Even more appalling was his disrespectful reference to the late Chief Edwin Clark, a revered statesman whose legacy was recognised by the President himself.
“Furthermore, his attack on His Majesty, King Alfred Diete-Spiff, former military governor of Rivers State and PANDEF’s Board of Trustees Chairman, is an affront to the dignity of the South-South people.
“At a time when PANDEF is working tirelessly to foster peace and reconciliation in Rivers State, the Honourable Minister’s public outburst is both reckless and counterproductive.
“His refusal to engage with PANDEF’s Peace and Reconciliation Committee, which includes respected elder statesmen, further underscores his unwillingness to support a lasting resolution to the crisis in Rivers State.”
Don’t take Fubara’s simplicity for weakness – Danagogo warns
Also, the Secretary to the Government of Rivers State, Tammy Danagogo, has warned against taking the calm and peaceful approach of Governor Fubara for weakness.
Danagogo issued the warning following criticism from opponents of the governor, especially Wike.
The SSG while speaking with newsmen during the commissioning of Okrika Grammar School in Okrika, argued that there was nothing wrong with the SSG writing a letter for an informal meeting.
According to him, such communication was within his official responsibilities and not an overreach of his position.
He also noted that he carried out similar duties under the former administration.
The SSG stressed that his response was not driven by political sentiment but by the need to set the record straight and counter misrepresentations.
Danagogo applauded the Governor for his restraint in the face of provocation, particularly the recent incident where the state assembly complex was locked, preventing him from presenting the budget.
Call Wike to order, Bode George tells Tinubu
In the same vein, a former deputy national chairman of the PDP, Olabode George, has advised President Bola Tinubu to call Wike to order for peace to reign in Rivers state.
George said rhetorics coming from Wike on the Rivers crisis are too inflammatory, dangerous and embarrassing.
Reacting to Wike’s media parley after Tinubu met with Niger Delta leaders and told them to find lasting peace to the political crisis in the oil-producing state, George said Wike’s outburst completely ruined everything Tinubu tried to achieve.
He said, “Unless the president is not telling us the whole truth, because I don’t know why I will be president and a minister will embarrass my administration publicly that way.
“As a country, Rivers State is the centre of our economic activity and financial strength. What is going on now is not the fastest track to peace. If a crisis starts, it will not only affect Wike but everybody. I am talking as a soldier and a General. Wike is talking too much, saying many things at the same time which are not necessary.
“When he was governor for eight years, did he tolerate opposing views? Is it because Governor Fubara is a gentleman that he is trying to rubbish him? He said he helped Fubara to become governor. Is he saying nobody helped him to become governor in 2015? Did he drop from the sky? Somebody made him a council chairman, chief of staff and minister.
“Later, somebody helped him to become a governor. Today, somebody helped him to become a minister. So, what exactly is he talking about?
“I watched him and I am still wondering what exactly Wike is trying to achieve by heating the polity. The questions I want to ask Tinubu, based on Wike’s rhetorics, are: ‘Is Wike the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces? Is he the Chief Justice of Nigeria or Chief Judge of Rivers State? Is he the speaker of Rivers state House of Assembly? Does he control all the forces in the state?’
“When he talks, he attributes so much imaginary powers to himself to the extent that people are now confused about who exactly is in charge between Tinubu and Wike.
“Has Wike fought a war before? What game exactly is Asiwaju Bola Tinubu playing in this Rivers crisis? What exactly is going on?
“I am raising this alarm because history has taught us that you only know the beginning of a crisis. You don’t know where it will end. “
Political crisis crippling governance in Rivers – ActionAid
ActionAid Nigeria has also raised concerns that the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State has crippled governance.
The organisation, in a statement, signed by the Country Director, Andrew Mamedu, expressed concerns that key policy decisions like salary payments, and development projects have been stalled due to the power struggle among the political elite.
“Rivers State is on the brink of administrative collapse. Governance has been hijacked by political infighting, leaving citizens to bear the brunt of this reckless power struggle.
“The poor cannot afford this crisis. Funds meant for development are trapped in political games, and policies that should improve lives are now in limbo,”Mammedu said.
The Country Director expressed concern that the crisis has created uncertainty over the state’s finances, hence the fears over sustainability of salary payments for civil servants.
With state allocations in question, ActionAid warned that thousands of government workers could soon face severe financial hardship, triggering widespread social unrest.
Beyond governance, Action Aid said the crisis has taken a toll on the state’s economy, as investors are alarmed by the instability.
“Political instability has consequences. Money that should be used for new development projects is instead being wasted on managing the fallout of political conflicts. The more instability continues, the less attractive Rivers State becomes to both local and foreign investors,” Mamedu warned.
ActionAid Nigeria called on President Tinubu to take immediate and decisive action to restore governance in the State before the situation spirals out of control.
The organisation also urged the National Human Rights Commission and international watchdogs to investigate political overreach and human rights violations stemming from the crisis.
“If this crisis remains unchecked, it will fuel public disillusionment, heighten social unrest, and create a sense of hopelessness among citizens. Political leaders in Rivers State must remember that their primary responsibility is to serve the people, not to fight for power at the expense of governance,” Mamedu stated.
