Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has stirred the political waters with a new set of appointments, even as a faction within the state's main opposition party levels serious allegations against him concerning a secret peace agreement.
New Appointments and Cabinet Reshuffle
In a move announced on Thursday, Governor Siminalayi Fubara approved the appointment of five special advisers. The list notably includes two former commissioners who previously served in his administration. This development comes just 72 hours after a minor cabinet reshuffle that saw the Commissioner for Sports, Christopher Green, redeployed to the Ministry of Justice as the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.
A statement from the Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry of Information and Communications, Dr Honour Sirawoo, clarified that Green would continue to oversee the Sports Ministry until a new commissioner is appointed. The official announcement was made available to journalists in Port Harcourt.
PDP Faction Accuses Governor of Deception
Simultaneously, a factional caretaker chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Dr Nname Ewor, has launched a scathing attack on the governor. Ewor accused Fubara of deceiving party members and the people of Rivers State regarding a peace deal allegedly brokered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to Ewor, the governor should publicly disclose the full details of this agreement, which he claims led to the lifting of the state of emergency in Rivers. He alleged that Fubara misled stakeholders into believing he could challenge the political influence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, only to later abandon the PDP "in the middle of a political sea."
Ewor outlined specific terms he claims were part of the deal: Fubara agreeing not to seek a second term, sacking his Chief of Staff Edison Ehie, removing the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Dr Tammy Danagogo, and reinstating Sergeant Awuse as Chairman of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers. He blamed the renewed political tension on Fubara's failure to honour these alleged terms.
Demands for Transparency and a Timeline of Crisis
Addressing journalists in Port Harcourt, Ewor insisted that Rivers people deserve to know the full content of any peace deal made before the president. "The mandate Governor Fubara holds was given to him by the people of Rivers State," he stated, emphasizing the need for full disclosure.
Ewor traced the ongoing crisis to a rift between the governor and the State House of Assembly within his first year in office. This conflict escalated to the bombing of the Assembly complex, a failed peace pact, and the eventual declaration of a state of emergency in March 2025. He claimed a second, undocumented peace deal was brokered during the emergency rule but also collapsed, leading to Fubara's defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in December 2025.
He also criticised the governor's absence from the PDP National Convention in Ibadan in November 2025, where the state executive committee was dissolved. Ewor defended the legitimacy of the PDP caretaker committee set up by the party's National Working Committee, stating its actions remain valid pending court outcomes.
On Wike's recent thank-you tour, Ewor noted the FCT minister's consistent accusation that Fubara reneged on the peace agreement. While acknowledging that Fubara's second-term ambition is now a matter for the APC, Ewor maintained that all agreements affecting state governance must be made public. "We therefore demand that the governor fully and completely disclose all agreements reached before the president," he concluded, framing it as essential for informed decisions ahead of the 2027 elections.
