Fresh Crisis Looms in Rivers as Wike’s Loyal Lawmakers Renew Clash With Fubara

Tension has again gripped Rivers State as lawmakers loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, resume a political confrontation with Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The lawmakers, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, are reportedly gearing up for another clash with the governor barely three months after President Bola Tinubu brokered peace among the feuding camps.

The renewed rift comes against the backdrop of the long-running battle for control of the state’s political structure, which first erupted months after Fubara took office in 2023.

Hostilities deepened in 2024 after the Amaewhule-led lawmakers joined the fray, culminating in the defection of 27 pro-Wike lawmakers to the All Progressives Congress on December 11, 2023.

The crisis lingered until Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the state on May 18, 2025, suspending the governor, his deputy and the House members before a truce was reached on July 27, 2025.

The fragile peace appeared to collapse on December 1, 2025, when Amaewhule attacked the governor’s record, accusing his administration of neglecting public schools. 

In a viral video, Amaewhule could be heard saying that the decay under the government’s watch is unacceptable and embarrassing.

Amaewhule said it was “a sad commentary” that public schools in the oil-rich state have deteriorated to the point where vandals have taken over school premises, pupils learn without teachers, and one teacher is forced to teach two classes simultaneously.

Tensions rose further on December 5, 2025, after Amaewhule and 15 other lawmakers dumped Fubara’s PDP for the APC, even as the assembly questioned the governor’s delay in forwarding commissioner-nominees.

Amid the renewed crisis, the Rivers chairman of the African Democratic Congress, Leader Sampson, cautioned political actors to avoid endangering residents. 

He said, “This is obviously not what the state needs right now…”

He continued, “However, what we see is what we earlier foresaw. We knew that the peace they achieved that time was for a selfish interest.

“We can’t even call that one peace deal. Terms were agreed for the interest of certain persons.

“The moment Amaewhule criticized the governor, we knew that something was already cooking…

“Everyone is free to play politics but not to the detriment of the Rivers people”.

A PDP chieftain, Austin Okai, also reacted, questioning why Fubara was left out of the political alignment. 

He said, “Despite reconciliation, Wike’s train moved to the APC without carrying him along.

“He is now lonely, those that stood with him also abandoned him since he went back to his own vomit”.