- The political situation in Rivers State remained volatile amid the suspension of the governor and political officeholders
- Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff claimed to have evidence of a bribe offer for the impeachment of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara on his phone
- Ehie denied any involvement in the bombing of the Rivers State Assembly, calling the claims politically motivated
Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff to the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, has claimed that he was offered N5 billion to facilitate the impeachment of his principal.
This was disclosed in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where Ehie stated that he had evidence of the bribe offer stored on his phone.
“I can also open my phone to show you, in the beginning of October 2023, when they approached me with a bribe of N5 billion. It is here in my phone,” he said.
“It was for impeachment. It’s here. I have it and I have printed it and distributed it, in case, in their evil imagination, they decide to attack me. I already have a son and a brother.”
Ehie denies involvement in Rivers assembly bombing
Ehie revealed that the offer was made while he was serving as the majority leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly. He also rejected accusations that he was involved in the October 30, 2023, bombing of the Rivers Assembly complex, which was reportedly carried out on Fubara’s orders.
The allegations came from George Nwaeke, the former Head of Service in the state, who claimed during a press conference that he had seen a bag of money handed over to Ehie at the Government House for the operation, although he admitted not knowing the amount.
Ehie vehemently denied the accusations, calling them politically motivated. “It is very important to clarify that I had no hand and was not part of the burning down of the Rivers State House of Assembly. Like everyone else, I woke up in the early hours of 30th of October 2023 to hear of the burning down of the Rivers State House of Assembly,” he said.
Ehie responds to Nwaeke’s accusations with financial assistance allegations, others
Further addressing the matter, Ehie revealed that he had instructed his lawyers to pursue a criminal libel case against Nwaeke. “I will not join issues completely with Mr George Nwaeke because I have already instructed my lawyers to file an issue of criminal libel against him, and I hope he is very prepared to substantiate his claims and his allegations,” he added.
In addition, Ehie accused Nwaeke of seeking financial assistance from him on the same day he resigned as the head of service.
Recall that the political state in Rivers has been tumultuous since Fubara’s fallout with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
On March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the state, leading to the suspension of both the governor and his deputy. Subsequently, the sole administrator of Rivers State, Ibok-Ete Ibas, suspended all political officeholders in the state on March 26.
Rivers Political Turmoil: Ex-HoS refutes kidnapping claim as Fubara dismisses bombing allegation
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that former Rivers State Head of Service, George Nwaeke, refuted his wife’s claims that he was kidnapped, stating that she was misled into reading a scripted statement.
Nwaeke’s wife publicly called on the governor for help, fearing that her husband was under duress and unable to speak freely.