Edison Ehie, Chief of Staff to the suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, claims he was offered ₦5 billion to facilitate his principal’s impeachment. Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Ehie said he has evidence of the bribe attempt stored on his phone.
“I can also open my phone to show you. In early October 2023, they approached me with a bribe of ₦5 billion. It is here in my phone,” Ehie claimed. “It was for impeachment. I have printed it and distributed it in case, in their evil imagination, they decide to attack me.”
Ehie said the offer was made while he was the Majority Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Denies Involvement in Assembly Bombing
Ehie also addressed accusations that he orchestrated the October 30, 2023, bombing of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex on Fubara’s orders.
The allegation came from former Rivers State Head of Service, George Nwaeke, who alleged during a press conference over the weekend that he saw a bag of money being handed to Ehie at the Government House for the operation.
Nwaeke admitted, however, that he did not know the amount inside the bag.
Dismissing the allegation as false and politically motivated, Ehie said: “I had no hand in the burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly. Like everyone else, I woke up on October 30, 2023, to hear about it.”
He also insisted he plans to take legal action against Nwaeke. “I have instructed my lawyers to file a case of criminal libel against him. I hope he is prepared to substantiate his claims,” Ehie said.
Rivers State’s Political Unrest
Ehie then counter-alleged that Nwaeke, on the day he resigned as Head of Service, requested financial assistance from him, raising questions about his motives.
Rivers State has been in political turmoil following Fubara’s fallout with his predecessor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. The crisis escalated on March 18, when President Bola Tinubu declared an unpopular state of emergency in the state. He oust the democratically elected governor, his deputy and members of legislature.
Tinubu appointed a former Naval Admiral, Ibok-Ete Ibas, on March 26 as the state’s “Sole Administrator“.
Political analysts believe the situation was intended primarily to influence power dynamics in the upcoming 2027 general elections, as rival factions within the ruling party and opposition parties jostle for power.
With lawsuits, bribery allegations, and deepening political tensions, the Rivers State crisis appears not to be abetting, leaving the future of the state in politically uncharted waters.
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