Siminalayi Fubara, the suspended governor of Rivers, says he
is not desperate to return to office nearly two months after President Bola
Tinubu declared emergency rule in the state.
Fubara spoke on Sunday during a service of songs held in
Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital, in honour of the late Edwin Clark, elder
statesman and the leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF).
“Have you asked yourself, do you think I’m interested in
going back there? I want to ask you—don’t you see how much better I’m doing?”
Fubara asked the audience at the service of songs.
“Do you think I’m interested in going back there? If I had
my way, I would say this is it. This is the will of God. I don’t wish to go
back there. My spirit has left that place.”
He was reacting to several tributes by members of the Rivers
Elders Forum, who referred to him as “governor” and condemned his suspension.
Fubara dissociated himself from those statements, describing
them as personal views not aligned with his approach.
He said such comments were unlikely to support peace in the
state.
The governor also expressed concerns that actions taken by
some of his backers had, in fact, worsened the crisis.
He asked the audience to focus their reflections on Clark’s
life and legacy, rather than turning the event into a political protest.
Fubara and Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital
territory (FCT), have been locked in a bitter political standoff since late
2023.
In December 2024, President Tinubu stepped in and brokered a
peace deal between the two politicians.
However, on March 18, the president declared a state of
emergency in Rivers and suspended Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, as well as the
entire state legislature.
Tinubu named Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired naval chief, as sole
administrator of the state.
The development saw the federal government take direct
control of Rivers, dissolving the state’s existing structures.
In response, 11 governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) approached the supreme court to challenge the legality of Tinubu’s action.
However, the national assembly asked the court to throw out
the suit, describing it as legally deficient and baseless.
The national assembly also argued that the apex court had no
jurisdiction over the matter and requested a N1 billion penalty against the PDP
governors for what it termed a frivolous and speculative filing.
In April, Fubara reportedly met with Tinubu in London over
the protracted political crisis in Rivers that culminated in his suspension.
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