The suspended governor of Rivers, Siminalayi Fubara has declared that 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.
Advertisement
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.
