The political atmosphere within the camp of Rivers State’s suspended Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has grown tense following remarks suggesting his reluctance to reclaim his office at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
Naturenex reports that Fubara, along with his deputy and members of the state’s House of Assembly, was suspended by President Bola Tinubu on March 18, 2025. The decision came after the federal government declared a state of emergency in the state due to a lingering political crisis.
Speaking at a tribute service in memory of the late elder statesman, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, held at the Royal House of Grace Church in Port Harcourt, Fubara openly admitted that he is not desperate to return to power, revealing that his passion for the office has faded.
In his words: “If I have my way, I wouldn’t want to return. My spirit has left that place (Government House). But many people, including the late Chief Clark, have made sacrifices for me. That is why I must stand by them.”
Fubara also criticized some of his loyalists for choosing to engage in confrontations and protests instead of pursuing peaceful dialogue and reconciliation amid the crisis.
Reacting to his comments, Joseph Ambakederimo, convener of the South-South Reawakening Group (SSRG), questioned the governor’s actions, especially his meetings in London with President Tinubu and later with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, if he had no interest in returning to office.
Ambakederimo stated: “The governor is playing to the gallery. He has succeeded in throwing his teeming supporters under the bus. If he does not want to return as governor, why did he go to London? Why did he visit Wike in Abuja?”
In a related reaction, a notable member of the Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF), Anabs Sara-Igbe, dismissed Fubara’s remarks as personal opinions that do not mirror the collective sentiment of Rivers people.
He added hope that the emergency rule would not endure the full six-month period initially outlined by the presidency. “Rivers people have taken a stand. They want the governor to be reinstated. We are satisfied with his governance. That is why everybody wants him back on the seat. When he is eventually reinstated, let him come and tell us that he will not return.”
Meanwhile, the president of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Alaye Theophilus, stressed that the agitation for peace in Rivers State transcends Fubara as an individual. According to him, the broader fight is about ending the systemic political oppression in the state.
He explained: “Even if it was another person that was the governor of the state, it is the spirit that we would have deployed. It is not about Sim Fubara. It is about enduring peace and progress of the state. So, whether the governor wants to return or not is not an issue. We want an end to the emergency rule in Rivers.”
