Rivers State Political Storm : Lesson From History

By Chief Okoi Obono-Obla

The Rivers State House of Assembly has given Governor Siminalayi Fubara an ultimatum to sack all commissioners and functionaries whose appointments required confirmation by the assembly within 48 hours, starting from March 5, 2025. This move comes after the Supreme Court’s judgment last week, which declared the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly as the legitimate representatives, while the 4 members supporting Governor Fubara were deemed not to constitute the Assembly.

Before the judgment, the Assembly was divided into two camps: the pro-Wike camp with 27 members and the pro-Fubara camp with 4 members. During the crisis, Governor Fubara dissolved his cabinet after many commissioners and top functionaries resigned. He then appointed replacements and submitted their names to the 4-member assembly for confirmation.

Now, with the Supreme Court’s judgment, the Rivers State House of Assembly is asserting its authority, demanding that Governor Fubara sack his entire cabinet and nominate new appointees for confirmation This move is seen as a necessary step to restore legitimacy and ensure that the Assembly’s constitutional role in confirming appointments is respected.

According to the Constitution, the Governor has the power to appoint commissioners, but their nominations must be confirmed by the House of Assembly.

Other positions that require confirmation by the Assembly include the Attorney-General, State Civil Service Commission, State Independent Electoral Commission, and the State Judicial Service Commission.

If Governor Fubara fails to adhere to the directive of the House of Assembly, he risks laying the foundation for another crisis and a possible charge of gross misconduct, which is a ground for impeachment. On the other hand, if he adheres to the directive and proceeds to direct the affected appointees to resign, he may open himself up to a future confrontation with the Assembly, which may refuse to confirm the new appointees.

This scenario is reminiscent of what happened in the Old Kaduna State in 1979, where Governor Balarabe Musa’s list of commissioners was rejected by the House of Assembly ten times. Governor Musa was compelled to run the State for nearly two years without the State Executive Council, and later, the Kaduna State House of Assembly initiated impeachment proceedings against him.

In light of this, Governor Fubara must extend an olive branch to his antagonists to avoid a similar scenario in Rivers State.

Edited by Barth Ikiebe.