Rivers Crisis Reignites as 16 Lawmakers Defect, Amaewhule Attacks Fubara’s Government
Tensions are once again rising in Rivers State barely three months after President Bola Tinubu brokered a fragile peace between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
PulseNets learnt that the Rivers State House of Assembly faction loyal to Speaker Martins Amaewhule and aligned with the FCT Minister is preparing for yet another confrontation with the governor, signalling what insiders describe as “a renewed storm” in the state’s political landscape.
The latest development comes nearly two years after the fierce power struggle between Wike and his political protégé escalated into a full-blown crisis over control of the state’s political structure. That confrontation intensified in 2024 when Amaewhule and his loyalists entered the fray.
In December 2023, about 27 lawmakers aligned with Wike defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC)—a move that PulseNets obtained information confirming triggered months of legal and political battles. Their seats were later declared vacant by pro-Fubara lawmakers on July 6, 2024, fuelling further chaos.
The conflict dragged on until May 18, 2025, when President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending the governor, his deputy, and the Assembly for six months. On July 27, 2025, the President held a decisive peace meeting with Fubara, Wike, and Amaewhule at the State House, securing a temporary truce.
However, the uneasy calm was short-lived.
Amaewhule’s new criticism sparks fresh tension
A fresh wave of hostilities began brewing on December 1, 2025, after Amaewhule publicly blasted the Fubara administration, accusing it of allowing public primary and secondary schools to deteriorate.
In a video that quickly circulated online, Amaewhule described the condition of schools as unacceptable and disgraceful under the current government’s watch.
“It is deeply troubling to see our public schools in such a shameful state,” he said. “We now have classrooms overtaken by vandals, children learning without teachers, and in many cases, a single teacher juggling two classes at once. This is a tragic decline for an oil-producing state.”
16 lawmakers dump PDP
Barely days after his criticism, Amaewhule and 15 lawmakers officially dumped Governor Fubara’s PDP for the APC on December 5, setting the stage for what political observers told PulseNets is “the beginning of another combustible phase.”
The defecting lawmakers include Deputy Speaker Dumle Maol (Gokana); Major Jack (Akuku-Toru); Linda Stewart (Okrika); Franklin Nwabochi (Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni); Azeru Opara (Port Harcourt 3); Smart Adoki (Port Harcourt 2); Enemi George (Asari-Toru 2); and Solomon Wami (Port Harcourt 1).
Others are Aforji (Eleme); Tekena Wellington (Asari-Toru 1); Looloo Opuende (Akuku-Toru 2); Peter Abbey (Degema); Arnold Dennis (Ogu/Bolo); Chimezie Nwankwo (Etche); and Ofiks Kabang (Andoni).
Assembly confronts Fubara over pending commissioner list
Another flashpoint emerged on Friday when the Assembly queried the governor’s delay in forwarding a new list of commissioner-nominees for screening.
PulseNets reported that during the Assembly’s first sitting after emergency rule was lifted in September 2025, lawmakers directed the governor to immediately submit fresh nominees to restore effective governance.
All commissioners appointed during the peak of the conflict were previously dismissed because they had not been screened by the Assembly recognised by the Supreme Court. But nearly three months later, Fubara has yet to forward a new list—sparking another institutional standoff.
“This is not what Rivers people need now” – ADC Chairman
The Rivers State Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Leader Sampson, warned that the growing tensions risk plunging the state into a new cycle of instability.
Speaking to PulseNets, Sampson cautioned the political actors to stop placing personal ambitions above the safety and wellbeing of citizens.
“This is absolutely not what the state needs right now,” he said. “After the emergency rule ended, we expected cooperation between the legislature and the executive. Instead, what we’re seeing is a replay of the same selfish interests that ruined the peace deal.”
He added: “Once Amaewhule started attacking the governor on public schools, it was clear that something deeper was cooking. They were simply setting the stage for their next move. Politics is fine—but not when Rivers people pay the price.”
“They’ve abandoned him” – Okai
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Austin Okai, also reacted, expressing surprise that Governor Fubara remains in the PDP while some of his former allies have repositioned themselves politically.
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Okai said the governor now appears isolated.
“After reconciliation, Wike’s political train moved into the APC—and Fubara was left behind,” he said. “He’s now walking alone. Even those who once stood firmly with him have drifted away because he returned to the same political circles that once betrayed him.”
