The political crisis in Rivers State has escalated as the Speaker Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly on Monday ignored an invitation by Governor Siminalayi Fubara for a meeting at the Government House, Port Harcourt.
The meeting, scheduled for 10 a.m., was announced in a letter from the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Tammy Danagogo, on Sunday. However, the lawmakers failed to turn up, opting instead to carry on with their legislative activities uninterrupted.
Signs that the lawmakers would not honour the meeting emerged on Sunday, when a viral video surfaced showing Lolo Isiah Opuende, the member representing Akuku-Toru Constituency 2, mocking the invitation.
In the video, Opuende faulted the manner in which the invitation was conveyed, stating, “How can you write a letter for the House of Assembly and put it on social media and expect us to come? The governor should write us the proper way.”
He further implied that the lawmakers would not engage with the governor, adding, “The governor should ‘dey his dey’ (be on his own), and we will also be on our own.”
Impeachment Moves Intensify As Budget Deadline Expires
With the 48-hour deadline given to Governor Fubara to present the 2025 budget now expired, indications suggest that the lawmakers may be gearing up for an impeachment move.
This follows a statement by the factional Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Chief Tony Okocha, who explicitly called on the governor to resign or face impeachment.
Addressing journalists in Port Harcourt, Okocha asserted that the Supreme Court judgment on the Rivers Assembly crisis was final, and that Fubara had no choice but to comply.
He stated, “The Supreme Court judgment is sacrosanct. There is nothing anybody can do. You can’t add or remove.”
“As a political party, we are advising the governor that there are two options available to him: resign honourably or be impeached. That is the position of the APC today.”
Okocha accused Fubara of committing “several impeachable offences,” mismanaging the state, and disrespecting President Bola Tinubu.
The factional APC Chairman further stated, “He has run the state aground. He has disrespected Mr. President. We warned him. Let him resign because there is no government in Rivers State. He is already sitting on a keg of gunpowder, and soon, it will explode.”
Okocha, who also represents Rivers State on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), recalled that the APC had previously offered Fubara a “soft landing”, which he allegedly rejected.
He said, “I congratulate the 27 Assembly Members who stood their ground. Despite threats and the hunger caused by their unpaid salaries, they remained steadfast. They are the face of modern democracy in Nigeria.”
He also dismissed threats from militants who vowed to attack oil pipelines if Fubara is impeached, describing such actions as cowardly.
Okocha concluded, “No amount of threats will deter the lawmakers from doing what is right. The law must take its course.”