Ex-Rivers State Head of Service Allegedly Coerced to Accuse Suspended Governor Fubara, Says Wife

Florence Nwaeke, the wife of former Rivers State Head of Service, George Nwaeke, has raised concerns over her husband’s whereabouts, claiming he is being held under duress and forced to make false statements against suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara. She made the appeal on Friday, days after her husband’s resignation from office was announced.

According to Mrs. Nwaeke, she became alarmed when reports emerged that her husband had given an interview. She attempted to contact him but received no response, and his phone lines were unreachable. “This morning, people started calling to tell me that my husband granted an interview,” she said. “So when I saw the interview online, I sent him a message and asked if he was under duress or was kidnapped. He didn’t reply to me. His numbers are not going through. Nigerians help me, my husband is in trouble.”

She alleged that her husband was pressured to implicate Governor Fubara in a financial scandal involving N15 billion. Mr. Nwaeke, she claimed, was accused of covering for the governor and was repeatedly pressured to sign documents linked to the funds. Instead of complying, he chose to resign from his position.

“Some people said my husband is trying to cover the governor because he is his friend. But he told them he is not aware of any N15 billion, that he did not have anything to do with the state finances. He told them that he was not covering anything,” she stated. “He later told me he had resigned and that he refused to sign any document in relation to the funds.”

However, in a press briefing on Friday, Mr. Nwaeke denied being pressured to resign. Instead, he accused Governor Fubara of creating the crisis that led to the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State. He claimed that Fubara was directly involved in the attack on the state House of Assembly.

“I was there with them when a bag of money was handed over to Edison for that operation, though I do not know the amount inside,” Mr. Nwaeke alleged. “I want to tell Rivers people today that the House of Assembly complex in Moscow Road was clearly brought down by Edison Ehie under the instructions of Governor Siminalayi Fubara. I challenge him to an open confrontation.”

He further stated that he had considered resigning immediately after the attack but feared the consequences of opposing a sitting governor. “A day after that incident, I almost resigned, but I was very scared because I knew the power of a sitting governor. He knew that I was aware of the whole plan and that I was uncomfortable with the unconscionable act and his deliberate posture of innocence,” he said.

Governor Fubara, in a statement released later on Friday, dismissed Mr. Nwaeke’s claims, asserting that he had been compromised and was acting under pressure from external forces. “The truth is that Dr. Nwaeke has been compromised, and whatever he is saying is only aimed at fulfilling his promise to those who may have paid or coerced him to lie against me,” Fubara stated.

The controversy surrounding Mr. Nwaeke’s resignation has further deepened the political crisis in Rivers State. On Tuesday, the state’s sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, formally announced his resignation and immediately appointed Iyingi Brown as the acting Head of Service.