Fresh political bickering and arm-twisting get underway as Governor Siminalayi Fubara gets deeper trouble in the events shaping Rivers State politics as 2027 elections inch closer
By Chinedu Oguh, Port Harcourt
Unarguably, the most troubled governor in the present political dispensation in the country, Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers state, his political woes seem endless and disturbing.
His ₦1.854tn 2026 Budget is still stuck at the Rivers House of Assembly, more than two months after it was presented.
The much-awaited Rivers State 2026 Appropriation Bill appears to have hit a fresh political roadblock, with the Martin Amaewhule-led House yet to read, debate or pass the ₦1.854tn proposal submitted by Governor Fubara.
Tentacle investigations revealed that the delay may not be entirely about the contents of the budget, but over alleged agreement reached between the governor and lawmakers as part of efforts to stabilize the state after the prolonged political crisis.
Fubara presented the budget, christened the “Budget of Resilience for Growth and Development” to the Assembly on July 10, 2026. Although, the Speaker acknowledged that the budget was presented late, he assured the governor that lawmakers would give it necessary attention in the interest of Rivers state.
More than two months later, however, the bill is yet to become law. There has also been little public information about budget defence sessions, committee scrutiny and other legislative processes normally expected to precede the passage of annual appropriation bill.
Insider sources said that the governor was arm-twisted by the lawmakers to reach fresh agreement as part of efforts to resolve the political crisis and pave way for the budget presentation.
A source within the Assembly, who spoke anonymously, said the agreements included issues relating to lawmakers’ benefits, entitlements and constituency projects.
The source alleged that Fubara had yet to fulfill several parts of the agreement, resulting in a lack of trust between the executive and legislature. According to the source, lawmakers wanted the governor to meet his obligations before allowing the budget to proceed, arguing that previous agreements had not been honoured.
The situation has fuelled concerns over the implementation of major projects across the state, with some projects reportedly stalled or operating below capacity because of the absence of appropriated funds.
Among the projects affected is multi-billion Naira Ring Road, which has reportedly either slowed down or suffered limitation in execution.
The strongest hint about what may be holding up the budget came from Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Chief (Barr). Nyesom Wike. Speaking during a special media chat in Port Harcourt penultimate week, Wike alleged that Fubara had failed to honour about 90% of the agreements reached with the lawmakers and members of what he described as “the family”.
Wike specifically alleged that the governor failed to release funds to the State Assembly Service Commission and significantly, failed to provide cars for the lawmakers. He said the Assembly could not be expected to receive the budget and pass it immediately when outstanding agreements had allegedly not been fulfilled.
The delay has attracted concern because some government projects are reportedly being affected by the absence of an approved 2026 budget. Among them is the multi-billion Naira Ring Road project, which investigations indicated was either moving slowly or not being executed at the expected scale.
The budget itself has also generated controversy over the proposed ₦41.4bn allocation to the State House of Assembly. While some stakeholders have questioned the size of the allocation, others have argued that the legislature requires adequate funding to perform its constitutional responsibilities.
But with the budget still awaiting passage, attention has shifted from the figures contained in the proposal to the political issues surrounding its consideration.
Calls are now growing for the executive and legislature to provide clarity on the status of the appropriation bill. Obinna Ebogidi, Convener of Rivers Peace Initiative said residents deserve to know why the process had not moved faster, particularly after the Assembly had indicated that the budget would receive accelerated consideration.
Ebogidi warned that political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections should not interfere with governance, stressing that Rivers residents still had urgent needs requiring government attention.
Similarly, South-South Youths Initiative National President, Oscar Imeabe urged the Assembly to prioritize the bill, warning that prolong delay would affect roads, schools, health care, youth programmes and other government projects.
Instead, the appropriation bill has still remained in legislative limbo, leaving residents and contractors waiting for clarity on when major projects will receive full funding.
For now, the political drama appears to have left the ₦1.854tn Rivers Budget caught between the governor’s office and the Assembly—with cars, funding and alleged unfulfilled agreements at the heart of the latest stand-off.
But in a press release from the Rivers State Government House, signed by Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Onwuka Nzeshi stated that there is no disagreement between the Executive and Legislative arms of the Rivers State Government over the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
“We wish to make it abundantly clear that His Excellency, Governor Siminalayi Fubara is not at logger-heads with members of Rivers State House of Assembly, but rather working closely with them to serve the good people of Rivers State.”
The release explained that the 2026 Budget proposal has been presented to the House of Assembly and that it is going through the normal legislative process and the government strongly believe that once the process is completed, it will be passed by the lawmakers.
The statement further stated that Rivers state has gone through difficult times in the past and it is not prepared to be dragged into another round of controversies.
The FCT minister, who served as governor of Rivers from 2015–2023 was widely reported to have played a pivotal role in Fubara’s emergence as his successor.
However, shortly after Fubara assumed office, the relationship between the two politicians deteriorated, precipitating a protracted political crisis that profoundly polarized Rivers political landscape.
The crisis saw lawmakers loyal to Wike initiate impeachment proceedings against Fubara on multiple occasions, escalating tension in the state.
The dispute eventually culminated in President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of six-month state of emergency in Rivers State.
Fubara later defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) before stepping aside from the governorship race in favour of Kingsley Chinda, a member of House of Representatives, Abuja, and an ally of Nyesom Wike.
Donatus Ibe, a close associate of Governor Fubara said that the Speaker remains the governor’s biggest headache and he is making things difficult for Fubara because he is the only Speaker in Nigeria who has never passed a budget in his state for over three years. For him, the budget is not a paper work, it is real power, the real negotiation table and real relevance, so missing out completely hurts deeply. For the Speaker, the governor denied him the only political trophy that would put “something” on his name, no budget, no legislative achievement except political ego wars. That is what this drama is all about.
All the 23 Local Government Chairmen are pro-Wike and all of them are working against the governor and his administration. They want to see him fail woefully.
