The leadership crisis within the Rivers State House of Assembly escalated as Speaker Victor Oko-Jumbo reaffirmed that the seats of Martin Amaewhule and 24 other lawmakers remain vacant. This comes after the Amaewhule-led faction declared seats of pro-Governor Fubara lawmakers vacant, citing their 152-day absence from Assembly sessions without notification.

Amaewhule argued that Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff to Governor Fubara, failed to formally notify the Assembly of his new position, leading to the declaration of his seat and others as vacant. Oko-Jumbo, however, countered, stating that Amaewhule and his group had defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in December 2023, which legally vacated their seats.

Oko-Jumbo criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for not holding by-elections to fill the vacant positions and urged the public to disregard claims by the Amaewhule faction, insisting they no longer hold any official roles in the Assembly.