By Emmanuella Opara | October 20th 2026
KEY POINTS
- The Rivers State House of Assembly has reversed its decision to declare the seats of three lawmakers vacant.
- Victor Oko-Jumbo, Sokari Goodboy Sokari and Orubienimigha Timothy were reinstated after submitting letters of apology.
- The lawmakers said they missed legislative sittings because they were unaware their suspensions had been lifted in December 2023.
- The development follows a meeting involving Nyesom Wike, lawmakers and local government chairmen at Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s residence.
MAIN STORY
The Rivers State House of Assembly has reinstated three lawmakers aligned with Governor Siminalayi Fubara after accepting their appeals and reversing its earlier decision to declare their seats vacant.
The lawmakers are Victor Oko-Jumbo of Bonny Constituency, Sokari Goodboy Sokari of Ahoada West Constituency and Orubienimigha Timothy of Opobo/Nkoro Constituency.
The Assembly approved the reversal during plenary on Monday after the lawmakers submitted letters of apology to the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule.
According to a statement issued by the Speaker’s media aide, Martins Wachukwu, the lawmakers said they had failed to resume legislative duties because they did not receive notification that their suspensions had been lifted.
The three lawmakers were among four members suspended on October 30, 2023, during the political crisis in the state. The Assembly lifted the suspensions on December 20, 2023, following presidential intervention.
However, the House later declared the three lawmakers’ seats vacant on October 15, 2024, citing their continued absence from legislative sittings. It also notified the Independent National Electoral Commission of the decision to conduct elections to fill the vacancies.
The statement said members of the Assembly supported the lawmakers’ appeals and voted in favour of rescinding the earlier decision.
Speaker Amaewhule said investigations indicated that the lawmakers might not have received the correspondence informing them that their suspensions had been lifted.
Following the vote, he asked the three lawmakers to resume sitting and rejoin their colleagues in representing their constituencies.
The development came a day after the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, led members of the Assembly and the state’s 23 local government chairmen to a closed-door meeting at Fubara’s private residence on Sunday.
The meeting reportedly involved the Senator Magnus Abe-led reconciliation committee and members of the Rainbow Coalition, with discussions aimed at resolving outstanding differences between Wike and Fubara ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike has been appointed coordinator of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign council in Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory.
THE ISSUES
The reinstatement reverses the Assembly’s 2024 decision to declare the lawmakers’ seats vacant after their prolonged absence from legislative proceedings.
The lawmakers attributed their failure to return to the House to a lack of notification that their suspensions had been lifted. The Assembly accepted their explanation and approved their appeals.
The decision also comes amid renewed reconciliation efforts involving political figures in Rivers State ahead of the 2027 general elections. However, the reinstatement itself does not establish that all outstanding disagreements between the political camps have been resolved.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“Commenting on the letters and summarising members’ submissions, the Speaker, Rt Hon Amaewhule, emphasised that, irrespective of the emotion-laden tenor of their appeals, investigations had shown that they might not have received the correspondence, as claimed,” the Assembly’s statement said.
WHAT’S NEXT
The three lawmakers have been asked to resume legislative duties and rejoin their colleagues in the Assembly. Further developments in the reconciliation efforts involving Wike, Fubara and other political stakeholders may shape relations within the state’s political leadership ahead of the 2027 elections.
BOTTOM LINE
The Rivers Assembly has restored the seats of three Fubara-aligned lawmakers after accepting their apologies and reversing its earlier decision. The move comes amid renewed efforts to ease political tensions in the state.
