REVEALED: What Led To The Fresh Battle In Rivers, Made Fubara To Go Hard On Pro-Wike Lawmakers

Governor Fubara’s refusal to assent to the amended Rivers State Local Government (Amendment) Bill was what sparked the recent political clash in Rivers State.

On March 13, 2024, the House passed the bill, aiming to extend the tenure of Local Government chairmen, who notably align with former Governor Nyesom Wike and forwarded it to the Governor for his assent. However, Governor Fubara vetoed the decision.

In a bold move, the House, led by Speaker Hon Martin Amaewhule, bypassed the Governor’s rejection and passed the bill into law during its 159th Legislative sitting in Port Harcourt.

The crux of the matter lies in the impending exit of the chairmen from their roles in all 23 local government areas, slated for June 17, 2024. Allegations emerged that Governor Fubara aimed to replace them with caretaker chairmen loyal solely to him, triggering a political standoff.

An anonymous source disclosed that the House, particularly the 27 lawmakers aligned with Nyesom Wike, sought to extend the chairmen’s tenure by at least six months. Any gubernatorial attempt to appoint caretaker chairmen would supposedly meet swift legislative retaliation in the form of impeachment threats.

Meanwhile, the political arena has been witnessing clash between the PDP and APC over the brewing impeachment controversy. The APC criticized Governor Fubara for allegedly disregarding separation of powers and misusing his authority, while the PDP countered, arguing that the 27 lawmakers lacked legitimacy due to defections, hence challenging the validity of their impeachment calls.

Rivers State is being rocked by serious political clash between the two opposing camps with no possible solution in sight since the intervention of President Bola Tinubu seemed to have failed to resolve the crisis. Meanwhile, Governor Fubara has decided to go hard on the pro-Wike lawmakers who have been overriding him over and over again.