CurrentReport Blog In a recent development stirring up further unrest in Rivers State, the rift between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and pro-Wike lawmakers is escalating as the Association of Local Government Areas of Nigeria (ALGON) in the state makes damning accusations against the governor.
According to ALGON, Governor Fubara stands accused of withholding funds allocated for the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state. This alleged action has severely hampered the ability of the local government chairmen to carry out their duties effectively, raising concerns that the governor’s actions amount to the de facto abolition of local government councils in the state.
During a press briefing in Port Harcourt, Allwell Ihunda, the State ALGON Chairman and Chairman of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, voiced the association’s grievances, stating, “It has come to the notice of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Rivers State chapter, that the Rivers State Government, under the leadership of His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has neglected, failed, and deliberately refused to hold the statutory Joint Account Allocation Committee Meeting which is the prerequisite for the release and disbursement of funds due to the local government in the State Joint Local Government Accounts.”
He further highlighted that funds due to the local government councils have been withheld since April 2024, and in the case of Emuoha LGA, since March 2024. The absence of a justifiable cause for this withholding of funds has left the third tier of government starved of the financial resources necessary to fulfill its statutory functions.
This development has added fuel to the fire in the already tense political landscape of Rivers State, with ALGON’s accusations amplifying calls for Governor Fubara’s impeachment. The support for impeachment, notably championed by Tony Okocha, the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), further underscores the depth of the crisis facing the state.
