Suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has rejected allegations made by the state's former Head of Service, Dr. George Nwaeke, during a press briefing aired on Channels Television on Friday, March 28, 2025. Dr. Nwaeke alleged he was present when Fubara handed money to his Chief of Staff Edison Ehie and former Obio/Akpor LGA Chairman Chijioke Ihunwo, allegedly to fund the burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex. He also alleged Fubara was involved in plans to support Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed's reported 2027 presidential ambitions.
In a statement issued Saturday, Fubara called the claims baseless and politically motivated, specifically pushing back on the suggestion that a former Head of Service would have had access to high-level political discussions. "The whole world was aware when the Bauchi State Governor, as Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum, visited Rivers State. There was nothing secret about those visits," he said. He also denied orchestrating any plan to encourage attacks on oil pipelines or other state assets, describing the allegations as an attempt to destabilise the peace process overseen by President Bola Tinubu in the state. "I have always preached peace in Rivers State, even in the face of obvious provocations," Fubara said, alleging that Nwaeke had either been coerced or financially induced to make the claims against him.
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Submit Your Music to EdgelinemusicThe story took a more serious turn afterward. A video circulated showing Florence Nwaeke, the former Head of Service's wife, in visible distress, calling Fubara directly over WhatsApp to say she feared her husband may have been kidnapped. In the video, she alleged her husband had originally resigned because he refused to sign documents implicating Fubara, and that he had since told her he was pressured into signing a separate document accusing Fubara of failing to declare ₦15 billion in handover notes. She said he travelled to Abuja on Friday on a paid ticket and contacted her on arrival, but she was shocked to then see him on Channels Television that night, and had been unable to reach him since — both of his phone numbers reportedly switched off. A Channels Television crew that visited the couple's residence in Old GRA, Port Harcourt found her maintaining that her husband had been pressured into making his statements under duress.
Screenshots of messages reportedly exchanged between Nwaeke and an unnamed contact in the days leading up to the press briefing were also shared, depicting a man under significant financial and psychological strain. In one message, Nwaeke reportedly described being in an "uncomfortable environment." In another, he wrote about his financial situation directly: "My take-home monthly is less than N500k, and it does not reach anywhere, not even enough to take care of the political dependants talk alone other encumbrances." He reportedly asked for help, writing, "I really need the necessary assistance and psychological support at this time," and "I hope I have not been forgotten." None of these claims — from either side — have been independently verified, and the situation involves serious allegations on both sides that go well beyond a typical political disagreement, including a credible concern raised by Dr. Nwaeke's own wife about his safety and whereabouts.
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