Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has removed the traditional ruler of Emohua kingdom, Eze Sergeant Awuse, as the Chairman of the State Supreme Council of Traditional Rulers Council.

Fubara announced Awuse’s removal at a meeting with the traditional rulers at the Government House in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Friday, June 21, 2024.

The governor, thereafter, appointed the traditional ruler of Apara kingdom, Chike Wodo, as the new Rivers State traditional council chairman, saying the office could not remain vacant.

Awuse, an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, was appointed as the council chairman by the former Rivers State Governor, replacing King Dandeson Douglas Jaja.

Wike and his successor (Fubara) have since been at loggerheads, a development that has created a political crisis in the state.

Speaking at the meeting, Fubara said Awuse has not been leading the council effectively for a while due to his alleged role in the ongoing crisis in the state.

Fubara: I’m not scared of probe, I acted on approvals

He described the monarch as an unstable character, saying he has been playing double standards since the political crisis in Rivers State.

The governor said: “It is like your chairman has run away. Maybe when your chairman is ready, he will write to me. If he gets the approval, he can then come for the meeting.

“But you already know his position. He is not a stable man; he is not a stable character. He can say something in the morning and say another thing in the evening.

“It is because of that he decided to hide his head. You have to bear with him until when God will help us remove this problem you are having. By the grace of God, it will be resolved soon.”

The Star