By Parrot Newspaper 
“Ultimatum Expires: Tension Mounts in Rivers as Ijaw Groups Warn Against Fubara Impeachment”
Port Harcourt, March 5, 2025 – The political crisis in Rivers State has taken a new turn as major Ijaw groups, including the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), issued a stern warning against the impeachment of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The groups have declared their readiness to resist any attempt to remove the governor, cautioning that such a move could destabilize the Niger Delta and threaten Nigeria’s oil production. This warning comes as the 48-hour ultimatum given by the Martin Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly for Fubara to re-present the 2025 budget expires today.
The Assembly’s ultimatum follows a Supreme Court judgment on February 28, 2025, which reaffirmed its legitimacy, further intensifying the standoff between the governor and lawmakers aligned with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. The judgment also nullified the local government elections held on October 5, 2024, and ordered a freeze on state allocations, adding fuel to the political turmoil.
In a strong-worded statement, INC President, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, denounced the impeachment threats, warning that the Ijaw people would not allow their first riverine governor in decades to be undermined. He criticized the Supreme Court ruling, arguing that it failed to recognize the historical and political sacrifices of the Ijaw people in Rivers State governance.
“If Governor Fubara’s tenure is truncated by the Martin Amaewhule-led Assembly or anybody else, the INC cannot guarantee the sustenance of the current peace in the Niger Delta, nor the continued rise in oil production,” Okaba cautioned.
The Rivers Assembly is set to make a pronouncement on the matter during today’s plenary, raising fears of a further escalation in the crisis. With the governor’s allies standing firm and Ijaw groups warning of severe consequences, all eyes are now on the unfolding political battle in the oil-rich state.
As Ultimatum Expires and Tension Mounts in Rivers, Parrott Newspaper will continue to provide updates as the situation develops.