The Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, has reversed its decision to declare the seats of three lawmakers aligned with Governor Siminalayi Fubara vacant, in a significant development for the state’s prolonged political reconciliation process, during plenary in Port Harcourt on Monday, 19 October 2026.

The decision affects Victor Oko-Jumbo, who represents Bonny Constituency; Sokari Goodboy Sokari, representing Ahoada West; and Orubienimigha Timothy, representing Opobo/Nkoro.

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The lawmakers had appealed to the Assembly to allow them to resume their legislative responsibilities, citing their lack of awareness that their earlier suspensions had been lifted.

According to proceedings reported from Monday’s sitting, Amaewhule read letters dated 16 October from the three lawmakers.

The letters explained their absence from subsequent sittings and asked the House to reconsider its decision in light of improving relations within the state’s political leadership.

The lawmakers said they had not seen the correspondence notifying them that their suspensions had been lifted.

They argued that the lack of awareness explained why they had not returned to the chamber and appealed for the Assembly to rescind its decision declaring their seats vacant.

Their appeal was considered during plenary before the House resolved to reverse its earlier position.

The decision marks a notable shift in the treatment of the three lawmakers, whose prolonged absence had become entangled in the wider political dispute that divided Rivers State’s leadership.

The dispute dates back to 30 October 2023, when the Assembly suspended the three lawmakers alongside Edison Ehie amid escalating tensions over the state’s political leadership. Ehie, who later became Fubara’s Chief of Staff, subsequently resigned his membership of the Assembly, paving the way for a by-election in his constituency.

The suspensions of the three lawmakers were lifted on 20 December 2023 following an initial peace initiative involving President Bola Tinubu, Fubara and Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former Rivers governor.

However, the dispute over their return to legislative duties persisted. The lawmakers did not resume attending sittings, saying they had not received the notification lifting their suspensions.

On 15 October 2025, the Amaewhule-led Assembly declared their seats vacant and wrote to the Independent National Electoral Commission to initiate the process of conducting by-elections.

The House cited Section 109(1)(e) of the Nigerian Constitution in connection with the prolonged absence.

Monday’s reversal therefore represents a fresh development in a dispute that has extended well beyond the original suspensions, raising questions about legislative representation, communication between lawmakers and the Assembly, and the wider implications of the political reconciliation process.

The timing has also drawn attention because the decision followed a closed-door meeting on Sunday, 18 October, involving Wike, Fubara, members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, local government chairmen and other political stakeholders associated with the Rainbow Coalition.

The meeting, held at Fubara’s private residence in Port Harcourt, formed part of continuing efforts to consolidate relations between the two political camps.

Senator Magnus Abe, who has played a prominent role in the coalition’s reconciliation initiative, was also reported to have participated in the wider engagement.

Reports by TheCable and AIT indicated that the latest meeting was part of ongoing attempts to strengthen the rapprochement between Wike and Fubara.

However, neither side publicly disclosed specific agreements reached during the discussions.

The proximity of Sunday’s meeting to Monday’s Assembly decision has prompted speculation about a possible connection between the two developments.

Although the timing suggests that the broader reconciliation atmosphere may have provided useful political context, no publicly confirmed evidence establishes that the meeting directly produced the Assembly’s resolution.

The reconciliation process has gathered momentum over recent months.

In August, a committee led by Abe held discussions with Fubara and other stakeholders to explore ways of bringing the divided political camps together.

The initiative was intended to accommodate differing interests and restore cooperation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In early October, Wike and other Rainbow Coalition leaders, including the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Rivers State, Kingsley Chinda, met Fubara at his private residence.

Further discussions on 18 October indicated that engagement between the previously divided camps was continuing.

The wider dispute has its roots in the breakdown of relations between Wike and Fubara after the governor succeeded Wike in 2023.

The disagreement spread through the state legislature, divided political loyalties and contributed to prolonged uncertainty over governance in Rivers State.

The crisis escalated in March 2025, when President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State.

The intervention resulted in the suspension of the governor, his deputy and members of the state legislature for six months.

The affected officials were subsequently reinstated in September 2025, although disagreements between the political camps continued.

Against this background, the Assembly’s latest decision may be viewed as a potentially important step towards easing one of the outstanding disputes associated with the crisis.

It also raises practical questions about how the three lawmakers’ return will be managed and whether the decision will bring a definitive end to the disagreement over their legislative status.

For constituents in Bonny, Ahoada West and Opobo/Nkoro, the issue carries consequences beyond the rivalry between political leaders.

The prolonged absence of their elected representatives has placed the question of effective legislative representation at the centre of the dispute.

The Assembly’s reversal offers a possible route towards restoring that representation, although the practical implications will depend on the implementation of Monday’s resolution and any further formal steps required.

For now, the development provides a fresh indication that the political alignments in Rivers State are evolving as influential stakeholders seek common ground ahead of the next general elections.

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Whether the renewed engagement translates into durable cooperation remains to be seen, but the decision to reconsider the vacant-seat declarations represents a consequential moment in the state’s continuing reconciliation efforts.