Since Nigeria’s return to civil rule in 1999, Rivers State, often called the “treasure base of Nigeria,” has seen five governors: Peter Odili, Celestine Omehia, Chibuike Amaechi, Nyesom Wike, and the current governor, Simnalayi Fubara. The state’s first major political crisis erupted in 2006 during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship nomination for the 2007 election. Amaechi won the primary, but former President Olusegun Obasanjo claimed his victory had “k-leg,” leading to the unjust award of the party nomination to Omehia, who had not participated in the primaries. However, on October 25, 2007, the Supreme Court nullified Omehia’s election and ordered Amaechi’s immediate swearing-in as governor.
This landmark ruling established the principle that voters cast their votes for political parties rather than individual candidates. The Supreme Court upheld this notion again in September 2016 when it ruled that votes cast for the deceased Prince Abubakar Audu in the Kogi governorship election were actually for the All Progressives Congress (APC), allowing Yahaya Bello to inherit those votes.
During Amaechi’s tenure, Wike served as his Chief of Staff from 2007 to 2011, following his time as Chairman of Obio-Akpor Local Government from 1999 to 2007. Wike became the Minister of State for Education from July 14, 2011, until April 2014. His relationship with Amaechi soured during this period, especially after Amaechi defected from the PDP to the APC on November 26, 2013. Wike, backed by former President Goodluck Jonathan, won the PDP governorship primary and the subsequent 2015 election, serving two terms until May 29, 2023. He orchestrated Fubara’s election as his successor in the 2023 governorship polls.
Wike is rumored to have financed the campaigns of many elected officials in Rivers State during the 2023 elections, which has allowed him to maintain control over the Rivers State House of Assembly. He also nominated a significant number of commissioners in Fubara’s cabinet, with at least nine key ministries seeing resignations in May 2024.
Governor Fubara’s administration faced turmoil just four months post-inauguration. On the night of October 29, 2023, an explosion destroyed the assembly complex, leading to impeachment proceedings against him by a faction of the assembly claiming gross misconduct. This dispute resulted in two factions claiming authenticity, with both sides seeking judicial intervention through various ex-parte orders.
On December 12, 2023, Justice Monina Danagogo of the Rivers State High Court recognized Edison Ehie as the legitimate Speaker, limiting the roles of Martin Amaewhule and Dumle Maol. Following this ruling, Fubara quickly presented the N800 billion 2024 Appropriation Bill to the faction led by Ehie and signed it into law the next day.
Fubara ordered the demolition of the House of Assembly, with heavy machinery arriving to raze the building instead of repairing the damage. On December 11, 2023, 27 lawmakers loyal to Wike defected to the APC, citing internal divisions within the PDP and Fubara’s refusal to pay their salaries.
President Tinubu intervened in the crisis, leading to an eight-point resolution on December 18, 2023. Key points included the withdrawal of court cases related to the crisis, cessation of impeachment proceedings against Fubara, and the recognition of the Amaewhule-led assembly. However, Fubara failed to comply with the requirement to re-present the state budget to this faction.
In May 2024, as the tenure of 23 local government chairpersons and councilors ended, the Amaewhule faction extended their terms by six months. Yet, a judgment by Justice Daketima Kio declared this extension unconstitutional. Subsequently, Fubara appointed caretaker committees to oversee the local governments until proper elections could be held.
A Supreme Court ruling on July 11, 2024, mandated that local governments in Nigeria must be democratically governed. Following this, a three-month moratorium was agreed upon concerning the ruling. Fubara claimed he needed to conduct local government elections before October 31, 2024, to avoid the federal government seizing state allocations.
Recently, in the PDP congresses leading up to the local government elections, Fubara’s camp lost to Wike’s faction. Fubara subsequently urged his supporters to switch to the Action Peoples Party (APP) for the local elections. On October 6, 2024, the RSIEC declared that APP had won chairmanship in 22 of the 23 local government areas.
Protests and unrest followed, with arson targeting several council secretariats. Reports indicated fatalities, raising concerns over the escalating violence. President Tinubu called for calm and urged the aggrieved parties to seek judicial resolution.
The ongoing power struggle in Rivers State echoes the historical “Operation Wetie” during the post-election crises of the western region in 1964-1965, which ultimately led to Nigeria’s first military coup. President Tinubu must rein in his Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to prevent further violence in his home state. The ongoing turmoil threatens not only the stability of Rivers State, a vital contributor to Nigeria’s oil and gas production, but also the integrity of the Fourth Republic.
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