EHICHIOYA EZOMON 
During the 2023 General Election, former Rivers State Governor and now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Chief Nyesom Wike, defied all opposition, “anointed” Siminalayi Fubara as candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), practically strapped him to his back, and campaigned for him to become governor.
For his yeoman’s job, Wike allegedly “wants to lord it over Fubara, and makes him a puppet and figurehead” in his government.
It’s Fubara’s resistance that has kept Rivers quaking for over 18 months (since October 2023). To stem the crisis sliding into a full-blown anarchy, President Bola Tinubu wielded the big stick on March 18, 2025, and proclaimed a State of Emergency on Rivers; suspended, for six months, the executive and legislative arms of the government, and appointed a Sole Administrator to superintend affairs of the state.
A lot has happened since then, the most telling being the bombshell allegations by former Head of Service (HoS), Dr George Nwaeke, against Fubara – the thrust of which was Fubara’s alleged directive to burn down the Rivers House of Assembly in 2023, and his plan to use militants to destroy oil installations in Rivers, and Niger Delta that lays Nigeria’s golden egg.
Nwaeke, who claims to be an “insider and eyewitness” to some of Fubara’s plans and actions, had suddenly resigned his position, and “disappeared” from the radar, only to show up in a video press conference, levelling grave allegations against Fubara, his Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie, and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed.
In response, Fubara’s issued counter-accusations, rather than address directly the Nwaeke charges, which border on economic sabotage, destruction of public property, stifling of the legislature, and plotting to stop President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. Below are Nwaeke’s pointed allegations:
• Fubara directed the burning down of the Rivers Assembly, using Edison Ehie, whom the governor mobilised with “a bag of money.”
• Fubara’s procured the services of militants to bomb oil pipelines, as part of the plot to bring down the Tinubu government.
• Nwaeke says he observed several meetings between Fubara, his Chief of Staff and some militant leaders, with each meeting ending with huge sums of money paid to attendees.
• Fubara told Nwaeke that as Chief Security Officer of Rivers State and his brother (Governor Douye Diri) is in charge of Bayelsa State, all oil pipelines are under their care. • Fubara said that at the appropriate time, they (he and Diri) would tell the boys (militants) what to do, and funding was not an issue.
• Nwaeke says he wasn’t surprised when Fubara repeated the statement in a public function that, “I will tell the boys what to do at the appropriate time.” • Fubara plans to start destruction of oil facilities from non-Ijaw-speaking areas of Ogoni, Oyibo, Ahoda, to remove attention from the Ijaw and make it have a state-wide outlook.
• That such actions will bring down Tinubu, and usher in a new President from the (rumoured) coalition of political parties, with a Vice President from the Ijaw. • Fubara boasts he’s the “David that will bring down the Goliath (Wike) of Rivers State,” and that he has the backing of the crème de la crème in Rivers.
• Fubara told Nwaeke he plans to use the Ijaw to decide the next President of Nigeria. • Nwaeke claims he used to sleep over in the Government House, Port Harcourt, but became uncomfortable when Governor Mohammed and other stakeholders started nocturnal visits to Rivers State.
• Fubara co-opted Governor Mohammed into the plot against Tinubu, and told him (Nwaeke) he would support Mohammed or any other northerner for president in 2027, with discussions ongoing.
• Nwaeke says he’s not bothered about who Fubara supports, but is concerned about the “quantum of Rivers resources” released to visitors plotting Tinubu’s downfall.
• Nwaeke says he was privy to several private meetings between the governor and labour leaders in Rivers and the largesse given out at each meeting to compromise the Labour Union.
Yet, Fubara’s denial hasn’t scratched the surface of Nwaeke’s damning allegations against him. He needs to invalidate the charges in a more organised format…
• The media will be captured by paying heavily for airtime and retaining social media influencers and known social critics on their payroll. • Such plans accounted for the organised media condemnations and public outcry against the President and National Assembly over the Rivers emergency rule.
• That Tinubu’s declaration of emergency rule averted a major disaster in Rivers, and Nigeria from the militants. Nwaeke’s allegations against Fubara are heavy, and damaging, and call for a direct and frontal rebuttal, point by point.
But so far, Fubara’s been dismissive, labelling Nwaeke as “compromised” and not the calibre of person he’d discuss or share with any of the alleged issues. In a personally-signed counter-statement on March 29, 2025, Fubara said:
“First, on the claim that he (Nwaeke) was aware of my discussions and plans to support Bala Mohammed’s alleged 2027 presidential bid, it is laughable that Dr. Nwaeke would be part of any high-level political meeting as Head of Service, much more sitting in my alleged night meetings with Bala Mohammed and militants, like he claimed. However, none of such meetings were ever held.
“The truth is that the whole world knew when the Bauchi State Governor, as Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum, visited the state, and there was nothing secret about the visits.
“It is also ludicrous for Dr. Nwaeke to claim that he was aware of my meetings to encourage attacks on oil pipelines and other national assets in the state, as there was no time I held any meeting with militants or any criminal group to destabilise the state. It is on record that I have been at the forefront preaching peace in the state even in the face of obvious provocations.
“The truth is that Dr. Nwaeke has been compromised, and whatever he is saying is only aimed at fulfilling his promise to those who may have paid or coerced him to lie against me.
“I call on all well-meaning Nigerians and the good people of Rivers State to disregard everything said by Dr. Nwaeke, as they are mere desperate attempts to discredit me and my administration, and undermine the peace process by Mr. President.”
Also, Fubara followed up on the “nothing burger” with a series of WhatsApp messages, suggesting that Nwaeke had been reaching out to Ehie “for funds and support in exchange for his loyalty,” as his N500, 000 monthly salary was inadequate to meet his needs. Yet, Fubara’s denial hasn’t scratched the surface of Nwaeke’s damning allegations against him.
He needs to invalidate the charges in a more organised format, such as a press conference, to throw the ball back into Nwaeke’s court. Anything short of that will sustain doubts about him coming clean, and erode his credibility and public trust!
