Politics

TIMELINE of Wike-Fubara fight, Rivers political crisis since 2023

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2 days ago

March 19, 2025

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The crisis within Rivers State traced back to October 2023 following the political fallout between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, now FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

The bombing of a section of the Rivers House of Assembly Complex on 29 October 2023 heightened tension.

Wike and Fubara have been locked in a protracted fight over the control of the political structures in Rivers State.

On 7th October 2024, three local government secretariats were set ablaze in Rivers.

In December 2023, the 27 lawmakers “defected” from the PDP to the APC, triggering a constitutional debate.

In response, the Rivers State High Court declared the seats of the defecting lawmakers vacant. The decision was challenged, leading to a series of legal battles.

Here is a timeline of the Rivers political crisis:

29 October 2023 – A section of the State House of Assembly Complex went into flames after suspected arsonists bombed it. This was on the eve of the impeachment attempt on Governor Fubara.

30 October 2023 – Some lawmakers, backed by Wike, initiatedimpeachment proceedings against Fubara

31 October 2023 – President Bola Tinubu mediated in the political rift between Fubara and Wike at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The mediation failed after a short while.

11 December 2023 – The 27 pro-Wike lawmakers announced their defection from the PDP to APC, citing divisions within the PDP.

12 December 2023 – A State High Court in Port Harcourt, via an order, cleared the way for Governor Fubara-backed four-member Assembly to hold legislative business without interference by the Amaewhule-led faction.

13 December 2023 – Edison Ehie, the speaker of the four-member faction, declared vacant the seats of the 27 pro-Wike lawmakers who defected to the APC, setting the tone for another phase of the political fight.

Fubara presented the N800 billion 2024 budget to the four-member assembly.

14 December 2023 – Fubara signed the N800 billion 2024 appropriation bill into law. The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Zacchaeus Adangor, resigned, citing “personal principles.”

15 December 2023 – More Wike’s loyalists resigned as commissioners, increasing the tally to nine.

18 December 2023 –Fubara and Wikesigned a peace deal at a meeting convened by President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

20 December 2023 – The lawmakers withdrew theimpeachment notice against Governor Fubara.

31 December 2023 – Ehie, the factional speaker, who led a four-member Fubara-backed assembly, resigned.

4 January 2024 –Ehie withdrew a contempt suit against pro-Wike lawmakers, suggesting the political crisis in the state was approaching an end.

17 January 2024 – Rivers Assembly reconfirmed the nine pro-Wike commissioners who resigned from the cabinet in December

22 January 2024 – A Federal High Court in Abujaset aside the state’s N800 billion budget signed into law in December 2023 by Governor Fubara.

26 January 2024 – The Rivers Assembly stripped Governor Fubara of the power to appoint caretaker committees for local government councils after the assembly rejected the governor’s veto against its legislation.

24 April 2024 – Governor Fubara reshuffled cabinet, and redeployedthree Wike-backed commissioners. The commissioners rejected their redeployment and resignedhours later.

6 May 2024 – Governor Fubara declared that Rivers had no House of Assembly.

8 May 2024 – Victor Oko-Jumbo, a lawmaker from Bonny Constituency, emerged as the speaker of a three-member Rivers Assembly, creating more confusion and deepening the political crisis in the state.

10 May 2024 – Fubara relocated the legislative business of the Assembly to the Government House in Port Harcourt. A State High Court in Port Harcourt barred Wike’s allies from parading themselves as lawmakers.

13 May 2024—Governor Fubaravowed to probe the administration of his predecessor, Wike

15 May 2024 – Five more commissioners resigned, citing various reasons.

21 May 2024 – A State High Court in Port Harcourt nullified the amended Rivers local government law, which granted tenure extension for the local government council officials in the state

7 June 2024 – Rivers State Government approved N19.6 billion for the reconstruction of the Rivers House of Assembly Complex, six months after it was demolished.

18 June 2024 – Fubara, in a statewide broadcast, directed outgoing council officials to vacate office immediately following the expiration of their tenure.

19 June 2024: Governor Fubara inaugurated the chairpersons of the caretaker committees for the 23 local government areas in the state.

25 June 2024 –Dynamite exploded near Hotel Presidential along Aba Road, Port Harcourt, during a protest in solidarity with Wike.

4 July 2024—The Appeal Court in Abuja reinstated the pro-Wike lawmakers. The appellate court said the lower court lacked jurisdiction to grant the ex parte order it issued.

9 July 2024 – Pro-Wike lawmakers gave Governor Fubara a seven-day ultimatum to re-present the 2024 budget to them for consideration, their first legislative action after reinstatement.

21 July 2024 – A Federal High Court in Abuja declined pro-Wike lawmakers’ prayer to stop Governor Fubara from spending state funds.

13 August 2024 – Wikevowed never to support Fubara again in his political life, saying his successor was “ungrateful”.

25 August 2024 – APP in Rivers State asked Governor Fubara to seek re-election in 2027 under the party platform, claiming that the PDP had lost relevance in the state.

4 September 2024 – Justice I.P.C Igwe of a State High in Rivers orders Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to conduct local elections in the state, using the 2023 voters register.

20 September 2024 – A Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed a suit seeking to sack pro-Wike lawmakers.

21 September 2024 – Governor Fubara’s allies picked APP forms for local elections, following PDP’s boycott of the exercise.

30 September 2024 – A Federal High Court in Abuja barred INEC from releasing voters’ register to RSIEC for local elections and further barred the police from providing security for the exercise.

4 October 2024 – Governor Fubara visited the RSIEC office and allegedly foiled an attempt by the police to “cart away” materials meant for the local elections. Police barred operatives from providing security for the election.

5 October 2024 – Fubara conducted local elections in the state where chairmanship candidates of APP won in 22 local councils in Rivers while Action Alliance won in one.

6 October 2024 – Fubara inaugurated chairpersons at Government House.

7 October 2024 – Police unsealed local government secretariats after four months.

8 October 2024 – Governor Fubara constituted a seven-man judicial panel of enquiry to investigate the cause of post-election violence and make recommendations for the state government.

10 October 2024 – The Court of Appeal in Abuja affirmed the nullification of Rivers 2024 budget. The appellate court affirmed pro-Wike lawmakers as the legitimate legislative authority in the state.

Governor Fubara filed an appeal at the Supreme Court, insisting the seats of the defected lawmakers remain vacant.

February 2025 – The Supreme Court restored Amaewhule’s position as the speaker, reinstated the others as legitimate members of the assembly, and nullified the local election organised by Fubara’s administration.

The lawmakers subsequently gave the governor 48 hours to re-present the budget.

The Governor had vowed to implement the order of the Supreme Court despite disagreeing with the verdict.

His efforts to re-present the budget were unsuccessful as the lawmakers denied him access to the assembly quarters last Wednesday.

On Monday, the battle took a new twist when 26 lawmakers served a notice of alleged misconduct against Governor Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu.

The notice of misconduct against the duo marks a resumption of the impeachment plot against them.

Politics

Governor Siminalayi Fubara carried out two weeks of back-to-back project commissioning from Monday, March 3, to Friday, March 14, 2025, yet all they saw was insecurity.

Published

4 hours ago

March 21, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

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Governor Siminalayi Fubara carried out two weeks of back-to-back project commissioning from Monday, March 3, to Friday, March 14, 2025, yet all they saw was insecurity.

Among the projects commissioned were three fire service stations abandoned for over a decade, one of the three zonal hospitals (Bori Zonal Hospital), Government Staff Quarters, Judges’ Quarters, the donation of a helicopter to the Nigerian Air Force, the construction and furnishing of the palace and residence of the Akpor Monarch, and the reconstructed Okrika Grammar School.

Politics

Osun: PDP dismisses calls for state of emergency

Published

4 hours ago

March 21, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

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The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Osun State has rejected claims by the All Progressives Congress, APC, that the state is in crisis.

This is as the party dismissed calls for a state of emergency in Osun.

In a statement issued by the state chairman Sunday Bisi on Friday, Osun PDP described the APC’s stance as baseless and affirmed that democratic governance is functioning smoothly across all levels in the state.

The statement said, “There is no breakdown of governance in Osun. The judiciary is operational, the state assembly is active, and the executive is effectively discharging its duties.”

The PDP criticised the APC’s comparison of Osun to Rivers State, stating that the political dynamics in both states are entirely different.

“Osun is not Rivers, and any attempt to equate the two is misleading,” the statement read.

The party accused the APC of inciting the recent local government crisis and blamed the opposition for the violence that erupted during the dispute over council leadership.

It stressed that the APC’s call for a state of emergency is an act of desperation.

“Osun is enjoying democratic dividends, and the government is delivering on its promises despite the APC’s orchestrations to destabilise the state,” Bisi added.

“The Adeleke administration respects the judiciary. The local government dispute arose from illegal appointments made by the former administration. Governor Adeleke has been addressing these issues within the law.”

He referenced a recent meeting of traditional rulers in the state, where royal leaders expressed their support for Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration.

“The state’s traditional institutions have commended the governor’s adherence to the rule of law,” Bisi said.

The PDP also refuted claims that the Adeleke administration disobeyed court orders, stating that the government has fully complied with judicial rulings

“The APC, on the other hand, continues to misinterpret court judgments for political gain. The governor acted swiftly to prevent further violence, urging all parties to respect legal procedures,” Bisi noted.

Regarding the employment controversy, the PDP maintained that the governor’s decision to review last-minute appointments by the previous administration was necessary and also criticised the APC’s past electoral practices, calling the opposition’s concerns about local elections hypocritical.

“Adeleke is ensuring that recruitment processes are based on merit and financial sustainability. The APC’s local council election was conducted in violation of the law. They have no moral ground to criticise a properly conducted election,” Bisi said.

The PDP accused Osun APC leader Ajibola Bashiru of seeking power through unconstitutional means alleging that rather than embracing the rule of law, the APC is attempting to seize control through violence and misinformation.

Addressing concerns about a strike by local government workers, the PDP said the unrest was caused by security fears following recent violence adding that despite political tensions, the PDP assured that governance in Osun remains stable.

Earlier, the Osun APC in a statement by Kola Olabisi, its Media and Information Director urged the presidency to declare a state of emergency in the state.

The party cited a total collapse of governance at the grassroots level for the reason for the call and claimed that Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration has rendered local governments non-functional.

Politics

Emergency rule: Rivers administrator confirms release of withheld allocations

Published

5 hours ago

March 21, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

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The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Ibok-Ete Ibas, has confirmed the release of withheld local government allocations for the state.

Ibas assured that necessary steps will be taken to ensure the prompt payment of workers’ salaries.

He spoke on Friday during a meeting with Heads of Local Government Administrators in Port Harcourt.

Ibas described the gathering as a pivotal moment in the collective effort to restore stability and progress in the state.

The sole administrator decried the economic hardship in the Niger Delta, saying that despite the region’s wealth of natural resources, its people continue to suffer.

“This is unacceptable,” he stated, emphasizing the need for transformation and accountability.

The administrator expressed concern over the delay in salary payments across local government areas, acknowledging the struggles of affected workers.

“I feel the pain of the workers,” he said, assuring them that the withheld allocations had been released and that his administration would ensure that salaries are paid without delay.