By Sodeeq Kamsela, Abuja
Former Rivers State Governor and Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has hailed Friday’s Supreme Court judgments that nullified the October 5, 2024 local government elections in the state and upheld the Rt. Hon Martins Amaehule’s leadership of the state House of Assembly.
Speaking in Abuja shortly after the judgments, Wike said his estranged protege and governor of the state, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara, having exhausted his cards and options, has no choice but to obey the apex court.
Naija Daily News recalls that Wike and Fubara fell out shortly after the governor’s inauguration in 2023, polarising the 31-member house of assembly.
Amaehule, who was elected Speaker at the inauguration of the House, along with 26 other members, is siding with Wike, while Fubara controls four members.
The governor presented the 2025 budget to the fraction led by Hon Victor Oko-Jumbo and three others, who hurriedly passed it in 2025, sparking a long-drawn battle on the legitimacy of the budget.
Amaehule and the 26 aggrieved lawmakers challenged the action and urged the court to nullify the budget.
During the time, the state governor also directed the Rivers State Electoral Commission, RSIEC, to conduct an election for local government offices in the state, a move that was challenged by the opposition All Progressive Congress.
The Supreme Court in a judgment on Friday also declared the election not properly conducted.
In his reaction on Friday, Wike said the rulings marked a turning point in perceived impunity by the current government, stressing that it reinforced the authority of the Amaewhule-led Assembly while nullifying the controversial local government elections.
Wike also lambasted former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, accusing them of supporting lawlessness in the state.
