During the National Executive Committee meeting of the PDP in Abuja, two loyalists of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, were allegedly arrested. Among them was Sokari Goodboy, a current member of the state House of Assembly, and Ezebunwo Ichemati, a PDP chieftain in the state.
Goodboy, who represents Aboada West Constituency in the State House of Assembly, is known to be one of the three lawmakers loyal to Governor Fubara. The political crisis between Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has been ongoing since last year.
The arrest of Fubara’s supporters reportedly occurred outside the venue of the PDP meeting in Abuja. A viral video showed a member of Fubara’s media team alleging that the arrests were made on the orders of a local government chairman in Rivers State.
According to the media team member, the local government chairman directed the arrest of the Assembly member and attacked Ezebunwo during the incident. The situation led to confusion among the team members present at the meeting.
Fubara had previously criticized local government chairmen in the state for their lack of loyalty, warning them of consequences for their actions.
The two arrested loyalists of Governor Fubara were reportedly taken away by security operatives. The Special Assistant to the Rivers State Governor on Electronic Media, Jerry Omotsegunwa, confirmed the incident and demanded their immediate release.
Expressing disappointment at the arrests, Omotsegunwa questioned the basis for targeting Fubara’s supporters when other governors had attended the meeting with their delegations. He urged for the quick release of the detained individuals.
Upon reaching out to the Force Public Relations Officer, Adejobi Olumuyiwa, for a statement, the call was abruptly disconnected after the correspondent introduced himself.