Rivers Crisis Deepens, Adangor Resigns As Attorney-General

Prof Zacchaeus Adangor has resigned as the Attorney-General (AG) and Commissioner for Justice in Rivers State.

Adangor’s resignation, dated November 14, 2023, was addressed to Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

Adangor’s said his resignation was based “purely on personal decision”.

Adangor was Rivers AG under the administration of Nyesom Wike, who was governor from May 2015 to May 2023.

His resignation occurred amid the ongoing political crisis rocking the state with the state assembly as the “boxing ring”.

The crisis in the 32-member Rivers State House of Assembly had begun as a result of a rift between Fubara and his predecessor, Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), a position in the All Progressives Congress (APC)-controlled government though he is a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.

The Assembly Complex was demolished on Wednesday by the governor amid tight security about two months after fire gutted the complex.

The state government said the structure was no longer fit.

The governor later presented the N800bn 2024 budget estimates to the Edison Ehie-led group at the Government House. Ehie was recognised by the court while the court restrained Martins Amaewhule from using the Assembly complex.

Ehie also declared vacant seats of 27 members who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC. The 27 members were said to be loyal to Amaewhule, who is an ally of Wike, a former governor of the state.

In October, the Assembly under Amaewhule served an impeachment notice on Fubara and removed Ehie as the House leader. However, some members of the Assembly loyal to Fubara immediately impeached Amaewhule and made Ehie the new Speaker.

Although President Bola Tinubu and PDP governors had intervened, there seemed to be no end in sight to the political upheaval in the oil-rich South-South state.