The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has alleged that politicians from within and outside Rivers State are positioning themselves to access about N600 billion reportedly left in the state’s coffers after the end of the six-month emergency rule.
Wike made the allegation on Saturday night during a meeting with members of the Rivers State House of Assembly at their legislative quarters along Aba Road, Port Harcourt.
He said the public disclosure of the funds left behind by the former Sole Administrator of the state, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), had triggered renewed political interest and manoeuvring around the Rivers State Government.
According to the FCT minister, some prominent politicians who recently visited Rivers State and held meetings with Governor Siminalayi Fubara were not driven by goodwill, but by the desire to benefit from the funds.
Wike alleged that the politicians had adopted a pattern of publicly praising the governor, who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), while privately seeking access to state resources.
He said the announcement of the size of the funds had effectively opened the door to political opportunists, adding that attacking him had become a convenient strategy for individuals seeking favour with the state government.
Wike further claimed that invoking the name of President Bola Tinubu had also become a tactic for gaining access to benefits, insisting that such practices reflected a familiar pattern in Rivers State politics.
The N600bn figure entered public discourse in November when the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Mr Martin Amaewhule, disclosed during a plenary session that Vice Admiral Ibas left the amount in the state treasury when he exited office on September 18, following the lifting of the emergency rule imposed by President Tinubu on March 18.
Amaewhule raised the issue while reacting to a report on the poor state of public schools in Rivers State, questioning why the funds could not be deployed to improve education infrastructure and recruit teachers.
Governor Fubara later confirmed the existence of the funds but explained that he had left N300 billion in the treasury before his suspension and met N600 billion on his return to office. He dismissed allegations of mismanagement, assuring that the funds were being utilised prudently and that details of his stewardship would be made public.
The controversy has been further fuelled by recent high-level visits to Rivers State, including a federal delegation led by the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and another appearance by senior APC leaders at official state functions.
Analysts say the dispute reflects the deep political tensions that have characterised Rivers State in recent months, especially following the emergency rule and subsequent political realignments.
