Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), said Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers, was locked out of the assembly quarters on Wednesday for disregarding due process.
The immediate past governor of the oil-rich south-south state spoke during a media chat with journalists in Abuja.
Earlier today, Fubara was prevented from accessing the Rivers house of assembly quarters in Port Harcourt to present the 2025 budget.
When Fubara and his entourage arrived at the entrance of the building, they met the gates locked.
The assembly quarters serve as the chamber for the Martin Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers assembly, which is loyal to Wike.
Background
Fubara and Wike have been locked in a supremacy battle over control of the political structure of the state.
The rift led to the polarisation of the Rivers assembly.
In December 2024, the governor presented a 2025 budget proposal of N1.1 trillion to the Victor Oko-Jumbo-led state house of assembly which is loyal to him.
On February 28, the supreme court affirmed the judgment of a federal high court that barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the accountant-general of the federation from releasing statutory monthly allocations to Rivers state.
The apex court had ordered the CBN to withhold Rivers’ financial allocation until Fubara presents the state appropriation bill to the Amaewhule-led faction of the assembly.
The supreme court also nullified the local government election held in Rivers state on October 5, 2024.
Fubara had promised to comply with the judgment of the apex court.
On Sunday, the Rivers governor, in a letter, invited the Amaewhule-led house of assembly members to a meeting scheduled for Monday.
Fubara’s invitation was viewed as a step towards resolving the Rivers assembly crisis that began in 2023.
‘Useless Letter’
The FCT minister, however, criticised Fubara for writing to the state house of assembly, stating that he should have called Amaewhule and his team to arrange a meeting.
Wike described the letter from Fubara as “useless”.
“You have had a frosty relationship with an arm of government. If you are a good politician, would you go and write a letter?” he asked.
“Is it by writing a letter signed by the SSG? What an insult! Is it how it is done? If you are a politician, you know what to do.
“You want to play to the gallery which is rubbish. All these letters are useless. You are not sincere, you are playing to the gallery.
“If you write a letter to the assembly, won’t you wait for a response? That’s what I’m telling you. Sincerely. As soon as you play to the gallery… he has carried television people along.
“Now they’ll say, ‘oh, he went to the assembly’. He knows it’s wrong. Can the president now stand up and run to the assembly? Who does that?
“He (Fubara) brought assembly complex down. The assembly now sits in their residence. If they’re coming… these legislators have children… they’d say, ‘the governor is coming today’. They have a lot of security, so they have to prepare themselves.
“He cannot just go and open the gate and come to present the budget. Nonsense. Rubbish! Rubbish!! Who is playing to the gallery? Nobody would hear that.”
Fubara had said he visited the quarters in compliance with the supreme court judgment on the Rivers political crisis.
