Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly say they have returned a N100,000 cash gift allegedly paid into their personal bank accounts on the instructions of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Petitions and Complaints, Hon. Enemi Alabo George, on Tuesday.

“Today, December 30, 2025, members of the 10th Rivers State House of Assembly received credit alerts of one hundred thousand naira each,” the statement said.

“The unsolicited and unapproved payments were made to members’ personal accounts on the instruction of the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Sim Fubara. Upon discovering the transfers, members immediately took steps to return the funds to the account of the Rivers State Government.”

The statement added that the Assembly was bound by the constitution and insisted that all public spending must follow due process and receive legislative approval.

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It further accused the governor of repeatedly drawing from the state’s Consolidated Revenue Account without the House’s approval since assuming office in 2025, despite warnings and relevant court judgments.

Assembly vs Fubara

Mr Fubara is currently sparring with members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, who are loyal to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike. In fact, he and the Rivers State House of Assembly have not seen eye to eye since 2023 when they were all elected.

Mr Fubara’s fight with members of the Asssembly partly culminated to President Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in the state in March, which saw the governor, his deputy and the Assembly suspended for 6 months. Despite returning to power since September 18, both the governor and the Assembly are yet to agree on anything – deepening the differences between the 2 camps.

Wike had on Tuesday alluded that the people of Rivers State would not repeat past political mistakes ahead of the 2027 general elections, signalling an early start to political mobilisation in the state.

Speaking during a visit to Khana Local Government Area, Mr Wike said political activities would begin in January 2026, warning residents against making choices they might later regret.

“We won’t make mistake again. The first one you have done – have they said thank you?” He asked the crowd, which responded in the negative.“So, if you make another mistake, that means they will drive you out.”

Although Wike did not mention Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s name, listeners believed he was referring to the governor.

“For us, there’s nothing like APC or PDP; what we have is Renewed Hope. We’re not voting based on party but on the fact that we belong to one political family, which is the Renewed Hope family,” he said.

Wike had also said that supporting President Tinubu would not guarantee a return ticket for Mr Fubara in the 2027 governorship election.

“The issue is not whether you support Tinubu or not. That decision was taken long ago. Nobody needs to come here to tell me they are for Tinubu. Supporting Tinubu will not earn anyone a ticket.

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“The Rivers State House of Assembly has done its job. They were the first in Nigeria to declare that, on your mandate, they would stand . So the Tinubu issue is no longer an issue. Do you understand me? Who in Rivers State is not for Tinubu? That alone cannot guarantee anyone a ticket.

“The same people who recently made public declarations are the same ones who took the Assembly to court, seeking to have their seats declared vacant.

“All those now chanting ‘on your mandate we stand’ failed when it mattered most. They could not vote for Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”