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Rivers Crisis: Governor Fubara Locked Out Of State Assembly
The governor, who arrived with his entourage, met the assembly gate shut without prior notice
Port-Harcourt, Rivers State– Governor Similanayi Fubara of Rivers State was on Wednesday locked out of the temporary Rivers State House of Assembly complex on Aba Road, Port Harcourt.
The governor, who arrived with his entourage, met the assembly gate shut without prior notice.
No official reason was given for the action, but sources within the assembly claimed that Fubara did not formally inform lawmakers about his visit.
However, the governor insisted he had sent a letter to Speaker Martins Amaewhule notifying him of his intention to visit.
Efforts to reach Amaewhule since Tuesday had been unsuccessful, Fubara stated.
The assembly, dominated by 27 lawmakers loyal to Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, had earlier given the governor a 48-hour ultimatum to present the state budget.
The budget was initially passed by a four-member faction aligned with Fubara, but the Supreme Court has since ruled in favor of the larger pro-Wike faction as the legitimate legislative body.
The lawmakers previously rejected an invitation from Fubara to meet at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
The latest standoff comes a day after President Bola Tinubu urged Fubara to implement the Supreme Court verdict, following a meeting with Niger Delta stakeholders at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Meanwhile, Rivers APC Chairman Tony Okocha has called for Fubara’s resignation or impeachment, further escalating tensions in the state’s political crisis.
