Chief of Staff to the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, Edison Ehie, has revealed he refused to accept a N5 billion bribe to facilitate the impeachment of his principal.

“In October, I was approached with a N5 billion bribe against the governor, but I refused,” Mr Ehie said during a Channel TV interview Sunday night. “The bribe was for impeachment, but I turned it down.”

“I can open my phone to show you, in the beginning of October 2023, when they approached me with a bribe of N5 billion; the proof is here on my phone,” he added without disclosing who offered him the bribe.

Mr Ehie’s revelation was on the heels of allegations made by George Nwaeke, Rivers’ erstwhile head of service, that Mr Fubara was to blame for orchestrating the crisis that culminated in the proclamation of emergency order in the state.

Mr Nwaeke had claimed Mr Fubara colluded with Mr Ehie to mastermind the bombing of the state’s House of Assembly complex, accusing the governor of handing a huge sum of money to Mr Ehie.

Mr Nwaeke stated, “I was there with them when a bag of money was handed over to Edison for that operation, though I do not know the amount inside. I want to tell Rivers people today that the House of Assembly complex in Moscow Road was clearly brought down by Edison Ehie under the instructions of Governor Siminilayi Fubara; I challenge him to an open confrontation.”

Mr Ehie, however, denied having a hand in the bombing of the complex, slamming Mr Nwaeke’s allegations as reckless and politically motivated.

“It is very important to clarify that I was not. I had no hand and was not part of the burning down of the Rivers’ house of assembly. Like everyone else, I woke up in the early hours of 30th of October 2023 to hear of the burning down of the assembly,” he stated.

The political crisis in Rivers necessitated the proclamation of emergency rule by President Bola Tinubu, who insisted it was necessary to ensure peace and order in the state.

Several Nigerians, however, slammed Mr Tinubu’s intervention as unconstitutional, demanding he reversed the order in the interest of the country’s fragile democracy.