Two loyalists of the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, along with the lawmaker representing the Aboada West Constituency of the state House of Assembly, Sokari Goodboy, were arrested in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Additionally, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, identified as Ezebunwo Ichemati, was also apprehended by the police. The arrests reportedly occurred outside the venue of the National Executive Committee meeting of the PDP in Abuja on Thursday.

In a viral video, a lady claiming to be a member of Fubara’s media team stated that the arrests were made on the orders of a Local Government chairman in Rivers State. According to her, the chairman directed the police to arrest the serving Assembly member representing Aboada West constituency and also targeted Ezebunwo, tearing his shirt in the process. She expressed confusion over the situation, stating that they were unsure why they were being targeted for arrest.

The two individuals, known as loyalists of the governor, were taken away by security operatives. Jerry Omotsegunwa, the Governor’s Special Assistant on Electronic Media, confirmed the incident and called for the immediate release of the arrested individuals. He emphasized that they were present at the event in solidarity and questioned the basis for their arrest, noting that many other governors also attended the meeting with their supporters.

Currently, the Rivers State House of Assembly comprises 31 lawmakers, with 27 loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and four aligned with Fubara. One of the Fubara loyalists, Edison Ehie, previously served as a factional Speaker but later resigned from the assembly and was appointed as Fubara’s Chief of Staff amidst the state’s political turmoil.

The State House of Assembly consists of 32 constituencies, with one seat vacant following the death of lawmaker Dinebari Loolo in 2023. However, no by-election has been conducted yet to fill the vacant seat. Efforts to obtain a response from the Force Public Relations Officer, Adejobi Olumuyiwa, were unsuccessful, as calls made by the correspondent went unanswered and a text message sent remained unanswered at the time of reporting.

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