Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Monday, hosted a group of suspended lawmakers from the Rivers State House of Assembly in the United Kingdom.
The dinner meeting took place during the lawmakers’ ongoing legislative capacity building tour in the UK.
The gathering was confirmed in a post by Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister. Taking to his official handle on X.com, Olayinka wrote, “Yesterday, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, hosted Rivers State House of Assembly members who are in the United Kingdom for Legislative Capacity Building, to a dinner.”
The suspended lawmakers, led by the embattled Speaker Martins Amaewhule, had travelled to the United Kingdom last week to begin what they described as a legislative tour. During the formal opening of the 10th Rivers Assembly Legislative Tour last Friday, Amaewhule explained that the programme aimed to expose members to global legislative best practices and enhance their productivity in lawmaking.
Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, departed Nigeria on Sunday following a political meeting with his loyalists in Port Harcourt. His meeting with the suspended lawmakers abroad comes at a time when the political crisis in Rivers State continues to deepen.
The Rivers political turmoil took a dramatic turn on March 18 when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the state, citing the inability of the current administration to maintain law and order. Alongside the declaration, the president suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Professor Ngozi Odu, and all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
In an unprecedented move, the president appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), a former Chief of Naval Staff, as the sole administrator of Rivers State for an initial term of six months. The decision sparked nationwide reactions and further intensified the already tense political atmosphere in the state.
The crisis in Rivers State is rooted in an unrelenting power struggle between Governor Fubara and his predecessor and political godfather, Nyesom Wike. What began as a quiet disagreement over control of the state’s political structure has snowballed into full-blown institutional dysfunction. The rift has split the Rivers Assembly, with a faction led by Amaewhule remaining loyal to Wike, while another group supports Governor Fubara.
The suspension of lawmakers and members of the executive arm by the presidency, unprecedented in Nigeria’s democratic history, has raised constitutional and legal concerns. Critics argue that the president’s intervention undermines democratic principles and the autonomy of states as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution.
Meanwhile, the dinner hosted by Wike in the UK is seen by many political observers as a strategic move to solidify his grip on the factional lawmakers. Though details of what was discussed during the dinner remain undisclosed, the event has fueled speculations about the continued loyalty of the lawmakers to Wike and his broader political ambitions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Despite public outcry over the state of emergency and the suspension of elected officials, the presidency has maintained that its actions were necessary to restore order and governance in Rivers State.
