Political tensions in Rivers State have flared once more as lawmakers loyal to former governor and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike resume hostilities against Governor Siminalayi Fubara, barely three months after President Bola Tinubu brokered a truce. The renewed confrontation signals a dangerous return to the power struggle that has destabilised the state for two years.
The latest round of clashes began after Speaker Martins Amaewhule launched a blistering attack on Fubara’s administration on 1 December, accusing the governor of abandoning public primary and secondary schools. A viral video showed the Speaker describing the state of education under Fubara as “unacceptable and embarrassing,” alleging that vandals had taken over school premises and teachers were stretched beyond capacity.
Tensions escalated further on 5 December when Amaewhule and 15 other lawmakers defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), a move widely seen as strengthening Wike’s political base. High-profile defectors included the Deputy Speaker, Dumle Maol, and several influential constituency representatives across Port Harcourt, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Asari-Toru and other LGAs.
The Assembly has also faulted the governor for failing to submit a new list of commissioner-nominees for screening, despite earlier directives issued after the suspension of the state of emergency in September. Fubara had sacked all commissioners appointed during the height of the crisis, following a Supreme Court ruling that they were not screened by the constitutionally recognised legislature. His delay in sending replacements has now become another flashpoint.
Rivers State endured months of turmoil between 2023 and 2025, culminating in President Tinubu declaring a six-month state of emergency and suspending the governor, his deputy, and lawmakers. A peace meeting on 27 July 2025 appeared to halt the feud, but political observers now believe the truce was fragile and self-serving rather than genuine reconciliation.
The Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Rivers, Leader Sampson, warned that the state cannot withstand another round of political warfare. He accused both sides of pursuing selfish interests at the expense of citizens, saying the renewed fallout was predictable from the moment the Assembly began attacking the governor over decaying schools.
PDP chieftain Austin Okai also weighed in, claiming Governor Fubara has been “left behind” by his own political allies despite the much-publicised reconciliation. He argued that Wike’s loyalists had strategically repositioned themselves in the APC while the governor remained isolated within a fragmented PDP structure.
