{"id":25897,"date":"2025-12-31T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/?p=25897"},"modified":"2025-12-31T13:02:01","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T12:02:01","slug":"rivers-state-lawmakers-reject-governor-fubaras-n100000-christmas-bonus-as-suspension-and-impeachment-threaten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/31\/rivers-state-lawmakers-reject-governor-fubaras-n100000-christmas-bonus-as-suspension-and-impeachment-threaten\/","title":{"rendered":"Rivers State Lawmakers Reject Governor Fubara\u2019s N100,000 Christmas Bonus as Suspension and Impeachment Threaten"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (FN)<\/strong> \u2014 Lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly have rejected and returned \u20a6100,000 credited to their personal accounts by Governor Siminalayi Fubara, calling the payment unsolicited and unconstitutional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The bonus was part of a festive package the governor had approved for civil servants and some public office holders in the state. But lawmakers said the transfer violated due process and undermined legislative authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a statement Tuesday night, signed by Hon. Enemi Alabo George, Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Petitions and Complaints, the Assembly condemned the payment. George explained: <em>\u201cToday, the 30th day of December 2025, Honourable members of the 10th Rivers State House of Assembly received bank credit alerts of the sum of one hundred thousand naira (N100,000) each. The said unsolicited and unapproved amount was transferred on the instructions of the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara GSSRS, to the personal accounts of members. Upon discovery of these unsolicited and unapproved transfers, Honourable Members of the House took immediate steps to formally return the said funds to the account of the Rivers State Government.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>George emphasized that the Assembly, as an institution established by law, would not participate in actions that fall short of constitutional standards. He further accused Fubara of repeatedly withdrawing from the Consolidated Revenue Accounts of the state without legislative approval since 2023, despite warnings from the House. <em>\u201cAs an institution established by law and guided strictly by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Rivers State House of Assembly maintains that all public expenditures must follow due process, including legislative approval,\u201d<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Wike\u2013Fubara Feud Deepens Political Crisis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The rejection highlights the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State, fueled by the feud between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike. Wike declared: <em>\u201cThere is nothing like automatic ticket in politics. Rivers politics is built on structures, not sentiments.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>APC South\u2011South Vice Chairman Victor Giadom added: <em>\u201cYou can\u2019t win anything in Rivers without Wike. For Governor Fubara to succeed politically, he must pass through Wike.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But community leaders in Wike\u2019s hometown have rallied behind the governor. Lawson Chukwu, Chairman of the Eneka Community Development Committee, said: <em>\u201cWe reaffirm our loyalty to Governor Fubara. His development efforts are commendable, and we urge him to continue.\u201d<\/em> Senator John Azuta\u2011Mbata also defended him: <em>\u201cFubara has shown leadership, and Rivers people must rally behind him despite distractions.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Traditional Rulers Urge Peace and Reform<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>King Alfred Diete\u2011Spiff, Amanyanabo of Twon\u2011Brass and former Military Governor of Rivers State, urged President Tinubu to intervene decisively. He said: <em>\u201cThis crisis requires an amicable resolution for the sake of peace and stability in Rivers State.\u201d<\/em> He further linked the turmoil to Nigeria\u2019s wider governance challenges, calling for restructuring and decentralization: <em>\u201cOur current system is unwieldy and contributes to instability; we must reform it to secure lasting peace.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Suspension and Impeachment Loom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Assembly has already suspended Governor Fubara, signaling that impeachment proceedings remain possible if he continues to bypass legislative authority. Analysts warn that impeachment could plunge Rivers State deeper into turmoil and test the balance of power between the executive and legislature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other States Facing Assembly\u2013Governor Clashes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Rivers is not alone. Similar battles have occurred in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Edo State: Obaseki vs. Oshiomhole factions, leading to parallel sittings and impeachment threats.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ondo State: Succession disputes during Governor Rotimi Akeredolu\u2019s illness.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Benue State: Attempted impeachment of Governor Samuel Ortom after party defection.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These examples highlight how legislative\u2013executive battles are not unique to Rivers, but part of a broader pattern of political instability across Nigeria\u2019s states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Civil society groups have praised the Rivers Assembly\u2019s decision, noting that transparency and accountability are critical in a state where political battles have often overshadowed governance. For now, the \u20a6100,000 bonus remains returned to the state treasury, but the confrontation between Fubara and the Assembly \u2014 and the larger fight with Wike \u2014 appears far from over, with impeachment looming as a real possibility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (FN) \u2014 Lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly have rejected and returned \u20a6100,000 credited to their personal accounts by Governor Siminalayi Fubara, calling the payment unsolicited and unconstitutional. The bonus was part of a festive package the governor had approved for civil servants and some public office holders in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":25898,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,3,1138],"tags":[3430,3437,3439,2299,3428,3438,3435,2088,3432,3434,564,40,3436,3431,3426,3429,444,3427,2355,3425,3433],"class_list":["post-25897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-naija-news","category-politics","tag-100000-bonus","tag-alfred-diete-spiff","tag-benue-state","tag-christmas-bonus","tag-consolidated-revenue-account","tag-council-of-traditional-rulers","tag-edo-state","tag-governance","tag-impeachment","tag-legislative-approval","tag-nigeria-politics","tag-nyesom-wike","tag-ondo-state","tag-pan-niger-delta-forum","tag-political-crisis","tag-rivers-house-of-assembly","tag-rivers-state","tag-rivers-state-crisis","tag-siminalayi-fubara","tag-suspension","tag-traditional-rulers"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screenshot_31-12-2025_13345_www.google.com_.jpeg?fit=766%2C419&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25897"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25903,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25897\/revisions\/25903"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}