- EX-Rivers State Head of Service (HoS), George Nwaeke, has contradicted his wife Florence’s claims that he was kidnapped.
Nwaeke, in a video released in the early hours of Saturday, said he’s safe in Abuja, where he voluntarily went to report himself to security agencies over recent developments in Rivers State.
His clarification comes following an outcry by his wife, Florence, late Friday, that she did not know the whereabouts of her husband after he resigned from service.
He explained that he resigned as Head of Service on Monday due to these developments.
Nwaeke suggested that his wife was misinformed and given a script to read, stating that the video she made was “null and void.”
“I just saw a video of my wife trending. She was told I had been kidnapped and given a script to read. I want to make it clear; I am not kidnapped. I am in Abuja working.
“When I was Head of Service, my wife was not involved in my official duties. That script she read is null and void. I am safe and sound. I will report myself to the appropriate security agencies because Abuja houses their headquarters, and I feel safer making my report here,” he stated.
Florence had raised alarm over the whereabouts of her husband.
In an interview seen on Channels TV late Friday evening, Florence told journalists she was afraid for her husband’s life and had no idea where he was.
Florence, who looked very disturbed in the video, called on Nigerians for help in locating her husband.
Florence’s cry for help came after her husband’s interview, where he made some serious allegations against the suspended Rivers Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
He claimed the governor was planning to back Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, in the 2027 presidential election and even accused him of meeting with militants to orchestrate attacks on oil facilities and other assets.
However, Fubara, in a response to Nwaeke’s claims late Friday, suggested that the former HoS may have been paid or coerced to have made the “false” claims against him.
Fubara shared screenshots of chats between Nwaeke and his Chief of Staff, Ederson Ehie.
The chats reveal that Nwaeke asked Ehie for money and support, promising loyalty in return. He claimed his N500,000 salary was insufficient for his needs.
The ICIR reported that Nwaeke’s resignation as HoS was announced in a statement Tuesday morning by the Chief of Staff to the state’s Sole Administrator, Ibok-Ete Ibas.
President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State on Tuesday, March 18.
The declaration followed political turbulence in the state.
In a nationwide broadcast, the president suspended Fubara; his deputy, Ngozi Odu; and all the state House of Assembly members for six months. However, he retained the state judiciary.
Tinubu blamed the governor for allowing the political crisis in the state to escalate.
He added that the declaration did not affect the state judiciary, which he said must continue to function by its constitutional mandate.
The political crisis in the state climaxed on Monday, March 17, when the House of Assembly served Fubara and his deputy a notice of gross misconduct, which could lead to their impeachment.
The lawmakers accused Fubara of misusing public funds, obstructing the Assembly, and making unauthorised appointments without proper screening and confirmation.
Recall that the power struggle between the governor and the Amaewhule-led Assembly reached its peak after the Supreme Court judgment, which ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Attorney General of the Federation to withhold Rivers State’s statutory allocation.
It also annulled the recent local government election conducted in the state by Fubara.
A reporter with the ICIR
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