Mr. Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff to suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, has denied any involvement in the explosion that rocked the Rivers State House of Assembly on October 29, 2023.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Sunday, Ehie made it clear that he had no hand in the incident and pointed fingers at Speaker Martin Amaewhule.
Ehie noted that only the Speaker has access to the Assembly complex outside official hours, including weekends, raising questions about his possible role in the explosion. “It is very important to clarify that I was not, I had no hand in the burning down of the Rivers State Assembly,” he stated.
He further revealed that 10 witnesses, including senior police officers, had testified before a Federal High Court in Abuja, confirming that Amaewhule’s convoy was at the Assembly complex on the night of the explosion. Ehie insisted that Amaewhule should be questioned about the incident.
Meanwhile, former Rivers State Head of Civil Service, George Nweke, had accused Governor Fubara and Ehie of orchestrating the explosion. Reacting to this, Ehie dismissed Nweke’s claims and said he had instructed his lawyers to file a criminal libel case against him.
“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 George Nwaeke, and I hope he is very prepared to substantiate his claims and his allegations,” he said.
Ehie described Nweke’s accusations as baseless, suggesting that he was acting under political pressure for financial gain. He pointed out that Nweke’s wife had recently raised concerns over her husband’s sudden disappearance, claiming that Nweke had “betrayed his conscience” and his family “to own the world.”
To further discredit Nweke, Ehie displayed alleged WhatsApp messages in which Nweke was seen soliciting financial assistance shortly after resigning as Head of Civil Service.
He argued that Nweke was not a significant figure in Rivers State governance and never had private meetings with Governor Fubara. He challenged Nweke to provide evidence of any such meetings without proper security clearance.
Ehie also addressed claims that President Bola Tinubu was misinformed about the reconstruction of the Assembly complex. He noted that the Sole Administrator, Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Abas, had confirmed that the project was already 80% complete, with full funding provided to the contractor.
