Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu Has Been Worse Than a Spare Tyre Since She Assumed Office in 2023 - Amadi

According to a report from the Sun dated February 16, 2026, fresh tensions are brewing in Rivers State as loyalists of Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu have openly expressed dissatisfaction over what they describe as her continued marginalisation in the administration of Governor Sim Fubara.

The development follows the recent dissolution of the state executive council by Fubara, coming shortly after a reconciliatory meeting facilitated by President Bola Tinubu aimed at easing the prolonged political rift between the governor and his predecessor, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Reacting to the planned reconstitution of the cabinet, supporters of the deputy governor, operating under the banner of a Port Harcourt-based group known as Progressives for the Oppressed Group, demanded that Odu be actively involved in the process. They argued that she should no longer be treated as a bystander in an administration where she holds the second-highest office.

The group’s Director of Public Relations, Japhet Amadi, told the Sun that Odu has not been allowed to nominate commissioners, special advisers, senior special advisers, board members, or even a chairman for her local government area. He claimed she had remained silent in the hope that she would at least be granted the opportunity to nominate her LGA chairman, but her preferred candidate was eventually dropped without explanation.

The group also alleged that the deputy governor has been excluded from key state meetings and denied oversight responsibilities traditionally assigned to her office, including supervision of certain ministries. They further claimed she has not been provided with official vehicles and other entitlements typically attached to her position.

In a strongly worded statement, Amadi said: “Deputy Governor, Ngozi Odu, has been worse than a spare tyre since she assumed office in 2023. She has been completely sidelined in major and critical affairs of the state.”

They added that despite what they described as persistent neglect, Odu has remained loyal to the governor and has not aligned herself with any opposing political camp.