By Emeka Amaefula
POWER SHIFT IN RIVERS: AMAEWHULE BLOC ABANDONS PDP FOR APC AS HOUSE SLAMS FUBARA OVER FAILURE TO PRESENT COMMISSIONERS
The Rivers political firmament shook again as 18 members of the State House of Assembly loyal to former Governor and current FCT Minister, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, officially dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The lawmakers, led by Speaker Rt. Hon. Martins Chike Amaewhule, signed and announced their defection at the adopted legislative chambers situated in the Assembly Quarters Auditorium, marking a decisive realignment in Rivers’ unending contest for political dominance.
Barely after the echoes of their declaration settled, a fresh confrontation erupted—this time aimed directly at Governor Siminalayi Fubara. The lawmakers expressed strong disapproval over the governor’s continued failure to forward a complete list of commissioner nominees for screening following the collapse of the temporary political peace pact.
House Leader Hon. Major Jack described the governor’s decision to run the state with only eight commissioners—without an Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice—as “a direct constitutional violation and an intentional weakening of governance architecture.” He stated, “The Rivers State Executive Council cannot be run in selective fragments. The law is explicit—commissioners must be screened, confirmed, and sworn in to give legality to executive action. What we are facing is not administrative delay; it is a purposeful shutdown of due process.”
Speaker Amaewhule backed the charge, insisting that the prolonged withholding of commissioner nominations amounts to dereliction of executive obligation. “The governor has a constitutional duty to transmit the list of nominees to this Assembly for approval. This state cannot be governed by advisory whispers and partial cabinet fragments. Rivers people deserve a functional government, not political minimalism,” he declared.
According to the lawmakers, the governor’s stance has stalled policy implementation, slowed bureaucratic channels, and disrupted statutory operations that require full executive representation. They warned that no state can be governed on “half-engine governance, mute directives, and institutional vacuum.”
Amid rising factional temperatures, the Assembly reaffirmed its earlier resolution maintaining the Assembly Quarters Auditorium as its legitimate and continuous venue for legislative sittings. The pronouncement was entered into the records to forestall claims of illegitimacy or external obstruction.
APC State Chairman, Chief Tony Chidugam Okocha, who formally welcomed the defected lawmakers, described the move as “a restoration of legislative order.” He asserted, “Where a governor declines to constitute his cabinet, the legislature must step in. What Amaewhule and his colleagues have achieved today is not merely a change of party—it is a rescue mission for a state drifting under withholding leadership.”
The session concluded on a highly charged note, with one bloc fully aligned with the national ruling party and the opposing side defending what it considers an embattled executive mandate. Yet, even in their transition, the Amaewhule caucus stressed that their oversight function remains intact.
Their message was unambiguous: although they have crossed into the APC, they remain guardians against constitutional shortcuts and executive silence in Rivers governance.
As the 2027 electoral cycle inches closer, with party primaries slated for the second quarter of 2026, a crucial question now looms larger than ever: Will Governor Siminalayi Fubara seek re-election, and can he withstand the tightening political corridors now reshaped by this powerful defection wave?
— Emeka Amaefula
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