Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie, Chief of Staff to the suspended Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has categorically denied accusations of his involvement in the fire that engulfed the Rivers State House of Assembly complex on October 29, 2023.

Ehie announced that he has directed his legal team to pursue a criminal libel lawsuit against the former Head of Service, Dr. George Nwaeke, who alleged that both he and Fubara were complicit in the incident.

During a live television segment broadcasted in Port Harcourt on Sunday evening, Ehie, who previously served as Speaker of a faction of the State House of Assembly aligned with the suspended governor, stated, “It is crucial to clarify that I had no role in the destruction of the Rivers State House of Assembly. Like many others, I woke up on October 30, 2023, to the shocking news of the Assembly’s burning.”

He refrained from directly engaging with Nwaeke, emphasizing that he has already instructed his lawyers to take legal action against him for his allegations. “I expect him to be ready to provide evidence to support his claims,” Ehie remarked.

Ehie suggested that the Assembly’s Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule, should be the focus of inquiries regarding the fire, asserting that the blaze erupted shortly after security personnel permitted the Speaker’s convoy entry into the complex.

The Chief of Staff accused Nwaeke of succumbing to political adversaries in pursuit of quick wealth. He referenced the distress expressed by Nwaeke’s wife over his sudden disappearance, portraying it as indicative of a man who has “betrayed his conscience” and his family for personal gain.

Ehie shared WhatsApp messages in which Nwaeke requested financial support shortly following his resignation as Head of Service the previous week. He characterized Nwaeke as “a discontented man” whose remarks do not reflect sound judgment.

Moreover, Ehie dismissed claims regarding Nwaeke’s close ties with Governor Fubara, asserting that the former Head of Service had not conducted any private meetings with the suspended governor. He challenged Nwaeke to specify a date and time of any visit to Fubara without the necessary security clearance.

“George Nwaeke has never been listed among those granted unrestricted access to the governor,” Ehie stated. “The records are maintained at the Government House, and the security clearance, which I supervise, is managed by the DSS. I challenge Nwaeke to provide evidence of any visit to the Government House since October 29, 2023, without prior clearance. There is no record to support his claims.”

A coalition of conscientious citizens has called on Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, the sole administrator of Rivers State, to publicly declare his assets.

This demand comes after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu proclaimed a state of emergency in Rivers Stateh and suspended te governor, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months.

The Coalition of Conscientious Citizens (3Cs), at a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, March 30, 2025, urged Vice Admiral Ibas to comply with Section 185 (1) of the Constitution.

This section requires individuals elected to the office of governor to declare their assets and liabilities before taking office.

The coalition’s executive director, Dr. Gabriel Nnaji, expressed concerns that Vice Admiral Ibas’s failure to declare his assets could lead to self-enrichment at the state’s expense.

He also cited reports of Rivers State’s coffers being depleted within two weeks of the sole administrator’s tenure.

“Our concerns have been further heightened by the reports we are getting from inside the administration. There are suggestions that Rivers State’s coffers have been bled dry in under two weeks of the Sole Administrator being in office,” the statement said.

“It is especially concerning given the speed with which the withheld allocations for local governments were released without further changes in the judicial status of the excuses earlier given for withholding them.

“There were also hints that the suspension of Governor Fubara’s political appointees was done to ensure that they were not around to witness the industrial-scale looting of the state’s resources taking place under the Sole Administrator.

“Arising from the foregoing, we urge Vice Admiral Ibas not to complicate issues for himself. He must immediately declare his asset to remedy his failure to fulfil the constitutional requirement to do the same before taking the oath of office as Sole Administrator of Rivers State.

“Given that Vice Admiral Ibas does not enjoy the mandate of Rivers State electorates being the product of a fiat, there is an additional burden on him to publicly declare his assets. This will ensure he does not enrich himself at the expense of the state.”

The coalition, therefore, issued Vice Admiral Ibas seven days to publicly declare his assets, failing which they will initiate legal action to compel him to do so.

They also vowed to scrutinize his tenure and ensure that any misuse of state resources attracts legal consequences.

“We are consequently giving Vice Admiral Ibas seven days from today to publicly declare his assets, failing which we shall activate the appropriate legal processes to compel him to declare his assets.

“We are also putting Vice Admiral Ibas on notice that the Coalition of Conscientious Citizens (3Cs) will lead an amalgamation of willing Nigerians and organisations to place his tenure under constant scrutiny and ensure that any misuse or personalisation of the resources of Rivers State shall attract legal consequences.”

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, says he is willing to step down his presidential ambition in the 2027 elections for a better politician to emerge as the flag bearer of his party.

The lawyer stated this on the Sunday edition of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political programme aired on Channels Television.

“Everybody knows that I have an aspiration. I’m working on it but God is the author of tomorrow; we don’t even know who is going to be around in 2027,” Adebayo said.

“It is my prayer to God that if there is a person who God thinks is better than me to fix the problem of Nigeria, my ambition should not stop that person because we want a country that works. That is the kind of thing we are working on at this time.”

Adebayo said the SDP would give Nigerians a candidate that all citizens would be proud of and be ready to give a chance to unseat President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the next presidential election.

The politician said the SDP won’t divide Nigerians along the delicate lines of religion and ethnicity.

He said, “What used to be an easy discussion – with religion and ethnicity – has become explosive now. So, we will not use the SDP forum to try to bifurcate our people into different zones.

“What we are looking for now is a system where when we make a choice in the SDP, there will be resounding joy outside the SDP and Nigerians will say: ‘Okay, finally, this platform has given the country a chance’.”