Rt Honourable Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff to suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, has alleged that he was offered N5 billion to coordinate the impeachment of his principal. Ehie made this claim while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, adding that he has evidence of the bribe offer stored on his phone.
“I can also open my phone to show you, in the beginning of October 2023, when they approached me with a bribe of N5 billion. It is here in my phone,” Ehie stated during the interview.
“It was for impeachment. It’s here. I have it and I have printed it and distributed it, in case, in their evil imagination, they decide to attack me. I already have a son and a brother,” he added.
Ehie explained that the bribe offer was made while he was serving as the majority leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly. His revelation comes amid growing political tension in Rivers State, following the suspension of Governor Fubara and his deputy by President Bola Tinubu on March 18, 2024.
The Chief of Staff also denied allegations that he played a role in the October 30, 2023, bombing of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex. The accusation was made by a former Head of Service in the state, George Nwaeke, during a press conference last Friday.
Nwaeke had claimed that he witnessed a bag of money being handed over to Edison Ehie at the Government House to execute the operation. However, he admitted that he did not know the exact amount inside the bag.
Dismissing the allegations as baseless and politically motivated, Edison Ehie maintained his innocence.
“It is very important to clarify that I had no hand and was not part of the burning down of the Rivers State House of Assembly,” he said. “Like everyone else, I woke up in the early hours of 30th of October 2023 to hear of the burning down of the Rivers State House of Assembly.”
Edison Ehie further stated that he had instructed his legal team to file a lawsuit against Nwaeke for criminal libel.
“I will not join issues completely with Mr. George Nwaeke because I have already instructed my lawyers to file an issue of criminal libel against him, and I hope he is very prepared to substantiate his claims and his allegations,” he said.
He also alleged that Nwaeke had sought financial assistance from him on the same day he resigned as Head of Service.
The crisis in Rivers State has been escalating since Governor Fubara fell out with his predecessor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. This political rift has deepened divisions within the state’s leadership, leading to President Tinubu’s intervention.
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On March 26, the newly appointed sole administrator of Rivers State, Ibok-Ete Ibas, suspended all political officeholders in the state. The move has further fueled concerns about the stability of governance in Rivers State. Ehie’s revelation about the alleged N5 billion bribe adds another twist to the ongoing political crisis.
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