Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has resurfaced in Port Harcourt after a mysterious no-show on Thursday left thousands of supporters disappointed and speculation swirling about his whereabouts.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Government House and its surroundings were flooded with supporters, political allies, cultural troupes, and musicians from as early as 7:00 a.m., expecting Fubara to make a public appearance following the lifting of the six-month emergency rule declared in the state by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. However, as hours passed with no address or sign of the governor, the mood turned from celebratory to uncertain.<\/p>\n
By 4:00 p.m., the crowd had dispersed, and top aides quietly exited without answers. Even senior government officials admitted they were unaware of the governor\u2019s location. Security personnel restricted access to the Brick House, Fubara\u2019s official residence, heightening public anxiety about his next steps.<\/p>\n
Despite the absence, government activities resumed across the executive, legislative, and judicial arms. The Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, reconvened and passed a motion calling for an investigation into activities during the emergency administration under Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas. Lawmakers also urged Governor Fubara to submit a list of commissioner nominees and a supplementary budget for the fiscal year.<\/p>\n
The uncertainty was finally laid to rest on Friday, when Governor Fubara addressed the state in a televised broadcast. In his 22-point address, Fubara broke his silence on the political crisis that led to the emergency declaration and called for unity and reconciliation going forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is without doubt that the last six months had been enormously challenging for our dear State under the emergency rule,\u201d Fubara said. \u201cAs your Governor, I accepted to abide by the state of emergency declaration and chose to cooperate with Mr. President and the National Assembly\u2026 no sacrifice was too great to secure peace, stability, and progress of Rivers State.\u201d<\/p>\n
He explained his decision not to challenge the constitutionality of the emergency declaration and praised President Tinubu for brokering peace among key political actors, including himself, former Governor and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, and members of the House of Assembly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe the political crisis is now behind us\u2026 though not without the hard lessons learnt,\u201d Fubara stated, emphasizing the need for lasting reconciliation. \u201cThe responsibility now rests squarely on us\u2026 to put aside our differences and work for the common good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fubara reaffirmed his loyalty to the President and expressed gratitude for the return of democratic governance.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will never take Mr. President’s kindness for granted. I hereby reaffirm my utmost loyalty and eternal gratitude,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Addressing the fears of many Rivers residents who remain skeptical of the peace process, Fubara urged patience and inclusivity.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing has been irretrievably lost\u2026 There remains ample opportunity for necessary adjustments, continued reconciliation, and inclusiveness,\u201d he said, quoting the adage, \u201cThe costliest peace is cheaper than the cheapest war.\u201d<\/p>\n
The governor also committed to resuming full governance, focusing on completing ongoing infrastructure, education, and healthcare projects.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur immediate responsibility is to return to the path of governance and development… I commit to working harmoniously with the Rivers State House of Assembly to recover lost grounds,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In a tone of gratitude and forward-looking optimism, Fubara thanked the people of Rivers State for their patience during the emergency rule and called on all stakeholders to work together.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us draw strength from our shared identity as Rivers people. Our diversity is our greatest asset, and our unity the strongest guarantee of our future,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n
Fubara also acknowledged the roles of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, and other federal lawmakers in resolving the crisis, as well as traditional rulers, religious leaders, and civil society for their support.<\/p>\n
As the dust settles on a turbulent chapter in Rivers State\u2019s political history, all eyes will now be on how the Fubara administration navigates the delicate task of reconciliation and returns to the business of governance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has resurfaced in Port Harcourt after a mysterious no-show on Thursday left thousands of supporters disappointed and speculation swirling about his whereabouts. On Thursday, Government House and its surroundings were flooded with supporters, political allies, cultural troupes, and musicians from as early as 7:00 a.m., expecting Fubara to make a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":91878,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8],"tags":[1542,6306,480],"class_list":["post-95130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-politics","tag-broadcast","tag-fubara","tag-rivers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=95130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95130\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/91878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=95130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=95130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=95130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}