Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, has accused Governor Siminalayi Fubara of deliberately attempting to sow discord, sideline the legislature, and “setting the stage for another crisis in Rivers State.”
Amaewhule, addressing reporters in Port Harcourt on Thursday alongside 10 other lawmakers, issued a detailed rebuttal to Governor Fubara’s recent public lament that his political benefactor, Nyesom Wike (the FCT Minister), had failed to convene a peace meeting between the executive and the Wike-aligned lawmakers.
The Governor had previously claimed he was committed to peace and willing to meet the demands of the legislators. However, Amaewhule strongly refuted these claims, accusing Fubara of being “reactionary” and deliberately deceitful.
“Everybody is aware that we are currently on recess, meeting with our constituents… But we all know that a lie told often enough becomes the truth… which is why as the Speaker… I think it is incumbent on me to set the record straight,” Amaewhule began.
He then addressed Fubara’s specific claim about failed mediation attempts: “The governor alleged that he has not been able to meet with members of the Rivers State House of Assembly because the FCT Minister… has refused to make that possible… We were so disheartened hearing that from our governor… coming at a time when Rivers people are yearning for peace and good governance.”
Describing Fubara’s allegation as “unnecessary and condemnable,” Amaewhule insisted that the FCT Minister had convened multiple meetings. “What the governor is trying to do is to set the stage for another crisis in Rivers State… The governor merely lied to Rivers people… Shortly after the emergency rule was terminated… the FCT Minister summoned a meeting between the governor and us… We met with him in Abuja.”
He confirmed that additional attempts at reconciliation were made, adding that further meetings were held in Port Harcourt at the residence of the Chairman of the Elders’ Council, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba. The Speaker challenged the Governor’s account of events, asking: “How many meetings have I mentioned? How many meetings does the governor want the FCT Minister to call? Is it a hundred?”
Financial and Leadership Misconduct Allegations
Amaewhule also raised serious allegations regarding the state’s financial management, claiming that Fubara had refused to submit statutory budget proposals. “The governor alleged that he has not been able to meet with members of the Rivers State House of Assembly because the FCT Minister… has refused to make that possible… We were so disheartened hearing that from our governor… coming at a time when Rivers people are yearning for peace and good governance.”
He further alleged that Fubara had failed to present the budget for the remaining part of 2025, detailing unauthorized spending: “In that meeting, the governor told us blatantly that he would not bring a budget… From September when we met… the governor has been spending without our approval… awarding contracts to his cronies… particularly those who masterminded the burning of the Rivers House of Assembly.”
Amaewhule stressed that the Governor was operating outside legislative authority: “The governor does not seek the approval of the Rivers House of Assembly to spend. He has been spending from his front pockets.”
He also alleged that the Governor planned to misuse funds purportedly left by the former administrator of the state under emergency rule, Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.). “The outgoing administrator… left over N600bn in the accounts of Rivers State… The governor has been spending it, boasting how he will use the funds to divide the Assembly members.” The lawmakers’ response to this was clear, with Amaewhule asking his colleagues: “Members, are you for sale? No. Not at all!”
Finally, the Speaker faulted Governor Fubara’s leadership style, urging him to “brace up to be the true leader Rivers people desire.” He concluded by stating that the public had “suffered too much because of the governor’s alleged indolence,” and criticized the Governor for his media tactics: “Disparaging the FCT Minister is not leadership at all… Sending his attack dogs… to insult us on social media won’t help the governor.” He concluded with a final criticism of the governor’s media allies: “Those he is using to insult assembly members… he gives them money, they go to all the television stations and insult us.”
