In Rivers State, lawmakers loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara have petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct elections to fill 27 vacant seats in the state legislature. This move follows a series of political upheavals and a recent split within the state’s House of Assembly.
The rift between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, began about five months into Fubara’s administration. Their disagreement reportedly arose from misunderstandings about state finances and governance issues. This fallout led to a significant political divide, with both leaders avoiding joint public appearances and state functions.
In October 2023, tensions escalated when 27 lawmakers loyal to Wike attempted to impeach Governor Fubara. This attempt was led by factional Speaker Martin Amaewhule and followed a bombing of the state House of Assembly on October 31, 2023. The 27 lawmakers subsequently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Following the impeachment attempt, Edison Ehie, one of the four lawmakers loyal to Fubara, declared himself the new Speaker with the support of 25 colleagues. Ehie announced the suspension of the 27 defected members and declared their seats vacant. He indicated that the House would request INEC to conduct fresh elections to fill these vacancies.
Despite Ehie’s later resignation and intervention by President Bola Tinubu, which led to an eight-point agenda to resolve the crisis, the current factional leader of the House, Sokari Goodboy, confirmed that the House had already written to INEC to request the elections. Goodboy stated, “We have already written to INEC when Edison Ehie was the Speaker.”
When asked about INEC’s response, Goodboy promised to follow up but had not done so by the time of reporting. An anonymous INEC source mentioned that the commission would act based on court pronouncements, noting that the issues regarding the 27 lawmakers’ defections and the declaration of their seats as vacant were still under judicial review.
The source stressed, “The commission cannot conduct fresh elections in the 27 state constituencies because some of these matters are still in court.” Efforts to get confirmation from the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, were unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, Abuja-based human rights lawyer Tolu Babaleye emphasized that only a court could declare a seat vacant before INEC could conduct an election. He stated, “It is not the responsibility of one politician to proclaim the seat of another vacant because that would be usurping the power of the court.”
In a related development, former Rivers State Governor Dr. Peter Odili commended Governor Fubara’s governance, stating that Fubara had taken full control of the state. Both Fubara and Odili spoke at the inauguration of the dualised Omoku-Egbema Road project in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area. Fubara assured that his administration’s projects and social services would be delivered as promised and would positively impact all parts of the state.
Odili praised Fubara, saying, “Your Excellency, the man God destined to govern Rivers State, a man whose life reflects the fear of God, a man who doesn’t talk too much but does a lot. The governor, by the way he has taken off, is in full control of governance in Rivers State.”
