Fresh political unease has gripped Rivers State as lawmakers aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, reopen hostilities with Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The factional lawmakers, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, are said to be preparing for yet another showdown with the governor, scarcely three months after President Bola Tinubu brokered a peace deal to halt the escalating feud.
The latest flare-up underscores the persistent tussle for the soul of Rivers politics, a battle that began months after Fubara assumed office in 2023 and has since defined the state’s governance atmosphere.
Tensions intensified in late 2023 when the Amaewhule-led assembly deepened its confrontation, culminating in the defection of 27 pro-Wike lawmakers to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on December 11, 2023.
The stalemate dragged on until President Tinubu intervened on May 18, 2025, declaring a state of emergency that suspended the governor, his deputy and the House members, a move later reversed following a truce on July 27, 2025.
But that fragile accord appeared to unravel on December 1, 2025, after Amaewhule publicly attacked the governor’s stewardship, accusing his administration of abandoning 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.
The political temperature rose further on December 5, 2025, when Amaewhule and 15 other lawmakers formally dumped the PDP for the APC, even as the legislature queried the governor’s delay in submitting a list of commissioner-nominees.
Amid the renewed drama, the Rivers chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Leader Sampson, warned the gladiators against plunging the state into deeper uncertainty.
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 chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Austin Okai, also weighed in, questioning why the governor was reportedly sidelined in the latest political realignments.
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”.