Rivers Assembly reverses vacancy decision for three Fubara-allied lawmakers

The Rivers State House of Assembly voted on Monday, 19 October 2026, to reverse its decision declaring the seats of three lawmakers allied with Governor Siminalayi Fubara vacant. The vote allows them to return to the legislature after a prolonged dispute over their absence from sittings.

The decision followed separate letters of appeal to Speaker Martin Amaewhule, according to Premium Times. NigerianEye reported that Amaewhule announced the reinstatement during Monday’s plenary. The affected members represent Opobo/Nkoro, Bonny and Ahoada West constituencies.

Why the Rivers Assembly declared the seats vacant

The three were among four lawmakers suspended on 30 October 2023 as the Assembly split into factions aligned with Fubara and Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, Premium Times reported. Their suspension was lifted in December 2023 following a presidential intervention, according to an account from the speaker’s media aide, Martins Wachukwu, carried by both outlets.

In October 2024, the Assembly declared the three seats vacant, citing the members’ continued absence from legislative sittings. Premium Times reported that the House said at the time it had notified the Independent National Electoral Commission to hold elections for the seats.

How the lawmakers’ appeals led to the vote

Wachukwu said the lawmakers apologised for failing to resume their duties after the suspension was lifted. They said they had not received official correspondence telling them they could return. That explanation is the lawmakers’ account, as relayed in the aide’s statement.

According to Premium Times, Amaewhule said investigations indicated that the three might not have received the correspondence. Assembly members debated the appeals during the 68th sitting of the fourth session of the 10th Assembly, then voted to rescind the vacancy resolution, the outlet reported.

The reversal came a day after Wike joined lawmakers and the state’s 23 local government chairpersons for a reconciliation meeting with Fubara in Port Harcourt, according to Premium Times. NigerianEye also reported the meeting. Disputes over political control and relations between the governor and the legislature have repeatedly disrupted governance in Rivers State, giving the return of the three members significance beyond their individual seats.