For many Rivers State residents and supporters of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, June 12 was supposed to mark a turning point, a symbolic moment of democratic restoration.
Instead, hopes of reinstating Fubara, his deputy Prof. Ngozi Odu, and the state House of Assembly, suspended since March 18 under emergency rule, were dashed.
The anticipation had been building. Many believed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would seize the occasion of National Democracy Day to restore full civil governance in Rivers.
That hope was fueled by his earlier decision to declare a state of emergency in response to escalating political conflict between Governor Fubara’s loyalists and lawmakers aligned with Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike.
Political analysts had predicted May 29 or June 12 as potential dates for Tinubu to end the emergency rule, restoring democratic order in the state. So, what changed?
What Went Wrong?
Insiders say the president had indeed put mechanisms in motion to recall Fubara to office.
According to sources, key meetings in London and Lagos hinted that Tinubu was ready to announce Fubara’s return, despite political consequences.
However, news of this plan allegedly leaked too early.
Jubilations by the governor’s supporters ahead of the official announcement reportedly angered Wike’s camp, which then mounted serious opposition.
The move was delayed, and conditions were allegedly imposed before reinstatement could proceed.
One source disclosed that Governor Fubara himself hinted at his imminent return during public engagements.
“The announcement of the governor’s return was to be made by Tinubu on June 12. The process of the handing over of power would have taken one or two weeks,” a notable activist revealed.
Still, the governor’s path to reinstatement remains fraught with political traps laid by rivals intent on pushing him out entirely.
Only days ago, Chief Tony Okocha, factional APC Chairman in Rivers, warned that Fubara’s problems were far from over, even if he joined the ruling party.
“If Fubara decides to join the APC, it has nothing to do with the state of emergency in Rivers State. His sins cannot be forgiven because he came to our party. It is not true,” Okocha said.
“He has not spoken to me. He will enter the party through the door, not the window. Not only him.”
Okocha added that the governor had failed to carry out the president’s instruction to restore peace at home:
“I can confirm that there is no reconciliation effort currently underway in Rivers. The suspended Governor Fubara has not made any move to reconcile with the lawmakers. Only genuine reconciliation can save him from impeachment, as the Supreme Court judgment stands.”
In a recent media appearance, Nyesom Wike accused Fubara of not being serious about reconciliation.
He claimed that after a meeting arranged at his Abuja residence involving two prominent Yoruba leaders, Fubara failed to follow up.
“He has the yam. He has the knife. If you want genuine peace, we will know. If you don’t want genuine peace, it is still your choice,” Wike stated.
Ironically, just a day after those remarks, photos of Fubara with Tinubu surfaced online, showing the two together during the Salah holiday at Tinubu’s Bourdillon residence.
Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Ibok-Etteh Ibas, the Sole Administrator of Rivers, has reportedly received a direct order to conduct local government elections before his term ends in September.
According to insiders, this is intended to lock down Wike’s political influence across the state and ensure control of the grassroots ahead of the 2027 elections.
The presidency’s nomination of members to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) and local commissions just last Thursday is seen as part of this broader plan.
The implications? Fubara might be reinstated only after the elections, returning to a weakened and volatile political landscape.
Some believe this tactic is designed to render the governor powerless even if he’s brought back.
At the heart of Wike’s refusal to back down, sources say, is his lost shot at the PDP’s 2027 presidential ticket, a move allegedly derailed by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, once his ally, now rival.
According to one insider:
“Wike’s scheme was to ensure that once the ticket gets into his kitty, he would step down for Tinubu to complete his second term in the spirit that the presidency still remains in the South for eight years.”
With ex-Governor Rotimi Amaechi poised to rally opposition forces against Tinubu in Rivers ahead of 2027, the state may become a fierce political battlefield.
Public resentment over the ongoing emergency rule could work against the President, especially with Amaechi in the race.
Still, Tinubu clearly values Wike’s political capital. During the inauguration of the renovated International Conference Center (ICC) in Abuja last Tuesday, he openly encouraged Wike to formally join the APC:
“Wike is an asset that no party would love to lose.”
With the state in limbo, many political observers now question whether Governor Fubara has any real chance of returning to office with authority intact.
Civic groups are silent. Protests have cooled. Even elder statesmen seem resigned to the ongoing power tussle.
Yet, some continue to press for resolution. Notably, PDP elder Chief Bode George issued a heartfelt appeal to the President:
“I also appeal to him, in the spirit of my maternal grand uncle who founded the first political party in Nigeria in 1922, Herbert Macaulay, to please reinstate Fubara. Tinubu should listen to, and honour this appeal in memory of all those who died in the journey to our democracy.”
