The political standoff in Rivers State has deepened as former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, criticized Governor Siminalayi Fubara for allegedly failing to notify the Assembly before his visit to present the 2025 budget. The ex-Speaker, who served from 2015 to 2023 during Nyesom Wike’s tenure as governor, made this assertion during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday.
Ibani insisted that protocol dictates that a sitting governor must officially inform the legislature before appearing for such a crucial engagement, a standard practice he claimed was followed under Wike’s administration. According to him, Wike always informed the Speaker ahead of his visits, ensuring the House was adequately prepared.
“I operated as Speaker from 2015 to 2023. When Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, was governor, I informed him to look at the state of the Assembly Quarters. He had to write to me, he had to call me that he would be visiting the Quarters of Rivers State House of Assembly,” Ibani explained.
The former Speaker emphasized that legislative independence must be respected and that Fubara’s approach was a departure from established norms. He noted that a governor cannot simply arrive at the legislature without prior arrangements, as the Assembly functions as a separate institution with its own leadership and calendar.
This latest controversy is part of the ongoing rift between the pro-Wike faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly and Governor Fubara, which has persisted since 2023. The situation escalated on Wednesday when Fubara was denied access to the Assembly Quarters while attempting to re-present the state’s 2025 budget, as mandated by the House following the Supreme Court’s verdict on February 28, 2025.
Fubara, however, has denied any breach of protocol, insisting that he duly communicated his planned visit to the Speaker, Martins Amaewhule. The Assembly, on the other hand, refuted the claim, stating that it received no official correspondence regarding the governor’s visit.
Ibani attributed the latest incident to the deep-seated political tension between Wike and Fubara, stressing that the crisis should not be viewed in isolation but as part of a broader power struggle that has been brewing for years.
“What happened yesterday, nobody should treat it in isolation; it should be taken holistically. It didn’t just happen because it was to happen yesterday, it started from somewhere. When you are elected into a position of trust and authority, your personal interest should take the background while the interest of the people should take the foreground,” Ibani said.
The former Speaker further explained that the legislative process involves extensive behind-the-scenes exchanges to ensure seamless governance. “You don’t know the legislative calendar of the legislature. A governor or a president cannot just walk to the assembly to present a budget. The process that will lead to that is the exchange that goes on behind the scenes to ensure that the governor comes and the budget is presented in the interest of the people,” he added.
Political analysts warn that the persistent tension in Rivers State could have far-reaching implications for governance and economic stability in the region. With Wike’s influence still looming large over the state’s political landscape, and Fubara attempting to assert his authority, the crisis is unlikely to be resolved soon.
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