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A chieftain of the Rivers State faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Collins Ordu, has described the performance of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara as “damaging”.
Fubara has been under scrutiny since he was sworn into office, following a political rift with members of the Rivers State House of Assembly that led to a state of emergency declared by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu in the state. After the emergency rule was lifted, the governor, who was previously a PDP member, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He also walked out of an APC screening exercise on Sunday, a move that has attracted criticism from other politicians.
While speaking to News Central on Monday, Ordu said that 65 House of Assembly aspirants were disqualified during the screening and suggested that Fubara may be guilty of the same reasons aspirants were disqualified for.
“It’s the same thing as an interview. So you bring a lot of your scorecard to the table, and based on that, you’ll be either qualified or disqualified. I also mentioned that a few House of Assembly aspirants, 65 in number, were disqualified, and there are reasons for their disqualification. Same reason I think the governor will be guilty of,” said Ordu.
Fubara has also faced criticism for failing to present a budget to the state’s House of Assembly. According to Ordu, the state’s House of Assembly did not hinder the governor from presenting his budget.
Ordu told News Central that the House of Assembly had requested him to submit the names of his commissioners for screening and prepare to present the budget, which he refused to do.
“So the House did not at any time refuse to attend to him. Then two, you recall that in 2014, 2024, there is no budget to date, and the house requested him to come over and have the budget passed,” he added.
“The court has convicted him on the 2024 budget, which he never presented to the legal House of Assembly. So the Assembly asked him to go and let them pass that budget, but to date he has not done so. And as I speak with you, this is 2026, May 11th, the governor has not deemed it fit to present his budget for 2026 and has been spending out of budgetary provisions.”
“So in all of this, I don’t know anywhere where you can go with a very damaging scorecard and be expected to be screened to succeed. So all of these are the factors that have told me that he cannot make it in that screening. I think the governor is not truthful to himself.”
Ordu also alleged that Fubara’s reception into the ruling APC was not celebrated as it was for other governors who defected to the party, adding that the governor has been concealing the challenges he is facing.
“I think that he has been trying to circumvent it. You see, before you are admitted into a party, certain criteria will be met. And then there will be this loud reception, which other governors, the governor of Bayelsa had it, the governor of Delta, same,” said Ordu.
“So if you check, the governor of Rivers State has never been received by the APC. So I don’t know what battles he may have been going through. So, it is this period I think everything is beginning to manifest.”
Fubara, after becoming governor, faced political tension within the state’s power structure, especially disagreements with his predecessor, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike and his allies.
The conflict between the state’s executive and legislative arms escalated, culminating in the declaration of a state of emergency in 2025. Despite subsequent political adjustments and party realignments, scrutiny and controversy around his leadership have continued.
