The Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Warisenibo Joe Johnson, has alleged that the actions by the Martins Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly against Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, will “ultimately ground the operation of all sectors of the government” and stop March salary payments to civil servants.
He disclosed this in a press statement on Monday, hours after the Rivers State House of Assembly served a notice of alleged misconduct against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy Ngozi Odu.
Nairametrics previously reported that the lawmakers claimed the action was in line with the Nigerian Constitution.
“In compliance with Section 188 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and other extant laws, we the undersigned members of the Rivers State House of Assembly hereby forward to you a Notice of Gross Misconduct by the Deputy Governor of Rivers State in the performance of the functions of her office,” the notice read.
“Upon receipt of the notice, Amaewhule forwarded the same to Governor Fubara and said the allegation was raised by 26 lawmakers “which is not less than one-third (1/3) of the membership of the Rivers State House of Assembly”.
Speaker Amaewhule asked Fubara to “reply to the allegations made against you in the said Notice of Allegations of Gross Misconduct accordingly”.
He added “In doing this, your attention is drawn to the provisions of Section 188(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), which provides thus: ‘Within 14 days of the presentation of the notice to the Speaker of the House of Assembly (whether or not any statement made by holder of the office in reply to the allegation contained in the notice) the House of Assembly shall resolve by motion, without any debate whether or not the allegation shall be investigated.’
Rivers Government Media Reacts
- Reacting to the development, Warisenibo Joe Johnson accused the Martins Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly of refusing to allow Fubara to fully implement the judgment of the Supreme Court on the long drawn political and legal battle that has lingered in the state since after what he described as “the ill-fated attempt to impeach him on October 30, 2023.”
- He urged the lawmakers to rethink, highlighting that the state government will be unable to pay salaries or function by month’s end.
“It is glaringly clear that with the current actions of the House, the dire consequences and harsh realities that the civil servants, retirees and people of the state will face unimaginable economic hardships, as the government will be unable to pay salaries, pensions and other emoluments as well as perform other obligations at the end of the month, as both the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant-General of the Federation have been ordered to seize revenue allocations to the state until its judgment is fully implemented.
“The collateral damages of the actions of the legislative arm of government in Rivers will be so severe as non-release of warehoused revenues due the state from the Federation Account will ultimately ground the operation of all sectors of the government,” he stated.
He stated that the lawmakers should stop their ” futile image laundry”.
He insisted that Governor Siminalayi Fubara is willing and ready to re-present the 2025 budget and carry out full implementation of all aspects of the judgment of the Apex Court for the sake of peace.
He warned that if the lawmakers fail to make a U-turn, the people and residents of Rivers State are bound to suffer avoidable calamities of economic, social and political upheavals that might sink the state deeper into unimaginable crises.
What you should know
- Fubara has been at loggerheads with former Governor Nyesom Wike’s loyalists in the House of Assembly, with previous attempts by the lawmakers to impeach him resulting in physical confrontations and security tensions within the state.
- While the governor has not yet responded to the allegations, political observers suggest this move could either lead to his impeachment or further negotiations between the warring factions within the state’s political structure.
- Recently, the former Governor was quoted as saying he will not prevent the lawmakers from impeaching Fubara.
Backstory
- On March 3, 2025, Nairametrics reported that the lawmakers, now recognized by the Supreme Court as the duly constituted Assembly, insisted that the governor must submit the 2025 fiscal plan for legislative scrutiny.
- Governor Fubara had previously signed the N1.1 trillion 2025 budget into law on January 2, after presenting it to the faction of lawmakers led by Victor Oko-Jumbo.
- However, a Supreme Court ruling last week effectively nullified the legislative actions taken by the Oko-Jumbo-led faction, affirming the legitimacy of Amaewhule’s group.
