The Rivers State House of Assembly has refuted Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s claim that certain elders were obstructing planned reconciliation meetings between him and the lawmakers.
Speaking in Port Harcourt yesterday, Speaker Martins Amaewhule described the governor’s remarks as misleading and unfair, insisting that several peace meetings, facilitated by Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, had indeed taken place.
According to Amaewhule, Wike convened a meeting in Abuja between the governor and the 27 lawmakers loyal to the former governor.
He added that another round of talks was later held at the GRA residence of Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, in the presence of members of the Elders Council and other stakeholders.
The Speaker said the lawmakers were taken aback by Fubara’s public denial of these engagements.
Amaewhule further accused the governor of ignoring resolutions reached at those meetings, particularly regarding the submission of the 2024 and 2025 budgets.
He alleged that Fubara had been spending state funds without legislative approval and awarding contracts to individuals linked to the arson attack on the Assembly complex.
“From September, the governor has been spending without our consent,” he said.
“He awards contracts to those behind the burning of the Assembly and they mock us, boasting of being rewarded.”
He added that the Assembly had remained silent in order to avoid escalating political tensions, especially after President Bola Tinubu’s intervention aimed at restoring peace.
Amaewhule also disclosed that an investigation into activities during the period of emergency rule revealed that the former Administrator left over N600 billion in the state’s coffers, a revelation he believes may have contributed to the governor’s hostility.
He faulted Fubara’s response to a recent House Committee on Education report detailing the decay in the state’s education sector, accusing the governor of resorting to personal attacks on the Assembly rather than addressing governance challenges.
“The governor’s comments about the FCT minister are unhelpful. As a leader, he should be above reactionary politics,” the Speaker said, alleging that Fubara was funding social media attacks against lawmakers.
Amaewhule also claimed that the Assembly had begun considering a defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023, a move he said prompted Fubara to sponsor legal actions seeking to declare their seats vacant.
Those attempts, he noted, failed.
He noted that the Assembly remained committed to its constitutional responsibilities and welcomed Fubara’s recent move to the APC but urged him to act within the law.
