Rivers State Of Emergency: Umeh Dismisses Sahara Reporters’ Claim Of $10,000 Bribe To Senators

Scope 01 Apr 2025

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Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, has firmly denied allegations that he received bribes in dollars to support the state of emergency declared in Rivers State by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Reacting to a report by Sahara Reporters, Umeh condemned the claim as baseless and warned the media outlet against blackmail.

He noted that this was the third time the platform had published false reports against him.

On Wednesday, Sahara Reporters alleged that senators were bribed with $10,000 each to approve the suspension of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, further claiming that Umeh played a role in distributing the funds at a private lodge belonging to Senate President Godswill Akpabio in Abuja.

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However, Umeh refuted these allegations, stating categorically that he was neither present at any such meeting nor involved in any financial transactions related to the state of emergency.

“I did not receive any money to support the approval of the state of emergency in Rivers State. I was not at any meeting where such payments were allegedly made,” Umeh clarified.

Explaining his whereabouts, the senator disclosed that on Tuesday evening, he attended an Iftar gathering at the Senate Guest House, where he was invited to offer a Christian prayer after Senator Adamu Aliero had said the Muslim prayer.

“I prayed for God to grant peace to all parts of Nigeria and reconciliation to all the warring parties in Rivers State. I prayed for love and for all Nigerians to embrace one another for the good of our nation. We did not discuss a state of emergency in Rivers State at the Iftar. There were other Labour Party senators at the Iftar,” he explained.

Describing the report as malicious blackmail, Umeh assured his constituents that such falsehoods would not distract him from his legislative duties.

“This is not the first time Sahara Reporters has published false information about me. It’s becoming serial blackmail, and I’m warning them to stop. I will not be distracted by their false reports, and I will continue to serve my constituents with dignity and integrity,” he declared.