The Rivers State House of Assembly has condemned Governor Siminalayi Fubara for allegedly obstructing the enforcement of a Supreme Court judgment, further escalating the political crisis in the State.
Lawmakers accused Fubara of disregarding the court’s directive that reinstated the Martins Amaewhule-led faction and other elected members, allowing them to resume legislative duties.
Addressing the issue in Port Harcourt, Enemi George, the assembly’s spokesperson and chairman of the House Committee on Information, accused Fubara of political theatrics. “The governor has been playing to the gallery with his recent actions,” he said, signaling further tensions in the ongoing standoff between the executive and legislative arms of the state.
Recall that the aforementioned crisis deepened on March 12 when Fubara was reportedly prevented from entering the Rivers Assembly quarters in Port Harcourt to present the 2025 budget, encountering locked gates upon arrival. In response, the assembly abruptly adjourned its plenary session indefinitely, leaving the state’s legislative process in limbo.
The dispute is largely fueled by a political rivalry between Fubara and Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), whose loyalists dominate the Amaewhule-led faction of the assembly. The power struggle has paralyzed governance in the oil-rich state, with both sides locked in a battle for supremacy.
Adding to the turmoil, the Supreme Court recently upheld a federal high court ruling barring the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the accountant-general of the federation from releasing Rivers State’s statutory monthly allocations. The ruling has raised concerns about potential financial constraints on governance in the state.
