A coalition of civil society groups, media professionals and concerned citizens has warned that governance in Rivers State is nearing collapse due to the prolonged political rift between key power blocs in the state.
The warning followed an emergency stakeholders’ meeting in Port Harcourt, where participants accused political actors of state capture, electoral malpractice and the erosion of democratic institutions. In a communiqué issued after the meeting, the group said the crisis—linked to the rivalry involving President Bola Tinubu, former governor and FCT minister Nyesom Wike, and Governor Siminalayi Fubara—has paralysed governance and plunged the state into uncertainty.
The stakeholders alleged that the struggle for control of state resources has diverted public funds from governance and worsened hardship for residents. They traced the crisis to weak internal party democracy, money politics and compromised institutions, including the electoral body, security agencies and the judiciary.
The group called for an immediate resolution of the impasse and warned that continued instability could trigger peaceful mass action by residents to reclaim the state’s democratic space.
