The political crisis in Rivers State, south-south Nigeria, escalated on Wednesday as lawmakers loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara elected Hon. Victor Oko Jumbo as a factional Speaker of the State House of Assembly.
Jumbo’s election came barely 48 hours after Governor Fubara declared the majority of the 27 members of the House, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), as non-existent.
The opposition APC has instructed its members in the House, who now constitute the majority, to impeach the governor.
In a meeting on Wednesday, some lawmakers elected Jumbo, a ranking member representing Bonny Constituency, as the new Speaker. This makes Jumbo the third Speaker under the current administration after Hon. Edison Ehie and Hon. Martin Amaewhule.
Amaewhule, an ally of the immediate former Governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, was impeached last year, paving the way for Edison, who later resigned in December 2023.
Edison’s resignation followed a peace accord between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Wike, to allow Amaewhule to return as Speaker.
On Wednesday, Hon. Sokari Goodboy emerged as the factional Majority Leader of the Assembly.
A government source revealed that Fubara supported Jumbo’s emergence to prevent Amaewhule, who is loyal to Wike, from potentially impeaching him.
This recent development adds to the ongoing political turmoil in Rivers State, which saw the burning of the State House of Assembly in October 2023 amid alleged moves to impeach Governor Fubara.
