Rivers: I was offered 5bn bribe to impeach Fubara — Edison Ehie

Edison Ehie, Chief of Staff to the suspended Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has claimed he was offered a N5 billion bribe to facilitate the impeachment of his principal.

Speaking on Sunday Politics, a Channels Television program, Ehie asserted that he possesses evidence of the offer, which was made during his tenure as the majority leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

“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 stated.

The political landscape in Rivers has been turbulent since a fallout between Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who now serves as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The crisis escalated further when the state assembly complex was set ablaze on October 30, 2023.

George Nwaeke, a former head of service in Rivers, had accused Fubara of orchestrating the incident, claiming that Ehie was given a bag of money to execute the operation. However, Ehie dismissed the allegation as politically motivated and outrightly false.

“It is very important to clarify that I was not, I had no hand and was not part of the burning down of the Rivers state house of assembly,” he said. “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.”

Ehie also revealed that Nwaeke had sought financial assistance from him on the same day he resigned as head of service. He has since instructed his legal team to pursue a criminal libel case against Nwaeke.

The crisis took a new turn on March 18, when President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers, suspending both Fubara and his deputy. Further tightening control, the state’s sole administrator, Ibok-Ete Ibas, suspended all political officeholders on March 26.