On Wednesday, Siminalayi Fubara, the Governor of Rivers State, was unable to access the Rivers House of Assembly quarters in Port Harcourt to present the 2025 budget.
Upon his arrival, he found that the gates were locked. The assembly quarters are currently being used by the faction led by Martin Amaewhule, which is aligned with Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
This situation is part of an ongoing power struggle between Fubara and Wike over the control of the state’s political landscape, which has resulted in a division within the Rivers Assembly. In December 2024, Fubara presented a budget proposal for 2025 amounting to N1.1 trillion to the state House of Assembly led by Victor Oko-Jumbo, who is supportive of Fubara.
At the scene, Fubara addressed journalists and stated that his attempt to enter the assembly quarters was made in accordance with a Supreme Court ruling regarding the political conflicts in Rivers.
“I am here this morning with a few members of the state executive council to comply with the supreme court judgment,” the governor said.
“Before my arrival, I had made several attempts by phone calls to reach the speaker (Martin Amaewhule) and other members.
“I also wrote a letter personally, which was transmitted to the honourable speaker for this particular invitation.
“It is unfortunate that by the gate, you can see that the place is completely sealed and there is no sign that anything is going to happen today. The reason why we are doing this is the interest of our people — which is the most important thing.
“There is nothing to worry about. Maybe they are working on their letter. I expect to hear from them maybe after now.”
This comes after Fubara said his administration will comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling. On February 28, the Supreme Court upheld a federal high court decision that prevents the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the accountant-general of the federation from disbursing statutory monthly allocations to Rivers State.
The Supreme Court’s ruling also directed the faction led by Martin Amaewhule, along with other elected members of the Rivers House of Assembly, to reconvene and resume their sessions.
The court invalidated the local government election that took place in Rivers State on October 5, 2024.
