By Pascal Ibe

As the crisis between governo rSiminalayi Fubara of Rivers State and the Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly rages on, social media users have shared comments attributed to a former president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, in which he advised the Rivers governor to shut down the House of Assembly.

The comments attributed to Obasanjo also directed Fubara to close down the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited ( NNPCL) and Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The full comment attributed to Obasanjo reads, “OBJ BLOWS HOT

“Obasanjo Visits Sim Fubara, Advises Him on How to Handle Wike and Tinubu”

“Shutdown Rivers Assembly. Declare State of Emergency in Rivers State – Obasanjo Visits SIM Fubara

“Withdraw security personnel from all Rivers Assembly members. Shut down NNPC, shut down NDDC, and dismantle any forces that may rise against you.

“You are the governor, elected by the people. You are the Chief Security Officer of Rivers State. What you order stands—neither Tinubu nor Wike put you in power. Demolish any hall or arena set to host your impeachment. Tinubu needs Rivers’s votes to win the 2027 election, and you stand in his way.

“Stop playing U.S. politics in a country like this—there is no law here, everything is lawless.

The comments attributed to Obasanjo, which were shared by @PH_Socials, have garnered over 270k views and more than 1k reposts on the X platform. It has also attracted more than 4k likes and hundreds of comments by X users.

The claim was also published here and here on the X platform.

FACTWATCH Nigeria also observed that this claim has circulated on many WhatsApp groups as of Tuesday afternoon.

Background

The political crisis between Sliminalayi Fubara pro-Wike lawmakers took a new shape after the Amaewhule-led Rivers Assembly made an Impeachment move by issuing a notice of alleged gross misconduct to the governor and his deputy.

A few weeks ago, Nigeria’s apex Court reinstated the Wike-backed lawmakers.

Nyesom Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, is currently the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Verification

First, no credible news organization in Nigeria recently reported that Obasanjo visited Fubara, after thorough search by FACTWATCH Nigeria.

Further checks by this Fact Checker on the comments attributed to Obasanjo, discovered that the comments lack critical details such as the date when they were issued and the exact location where the Rivers governor and the Nigerian ex-president met. The comments also lacked good writing structure and poor use of grammar.

No photo or video evidence supports the claim that Fubara and Obasanjo met recently.

Obasanjo was in the news recently for criticizing the Tinubu administration. But it was unrelated to the Fubara and Amaewhule-led Rivers Assembly feud.

In a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Nelson Chukwudi, in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, the Rivers State Government debunked social media reports that former President Olusegun Obasanjo and a delegation of the Pan Niger Delta Forum paid a visit to the state governor, Similarlyi Fubara.

Verdict

This claim is FALSE and MISLEADING.

The comments attributed to Obasanjo, advising Fubara to shut down the Rivers Assembly and other major sectors of the economy, were fabricated to mislead the public amid the political crisis in Rivers State.