IGBOZURUOKE MEDIA

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been under intense pressure to annul the state of emergency proclamation on Rivers state just as he spelt out stiff conditions for such to be achieved.
For about three weeks now, Tinubu had been on his usual unofficial visit to France, but reportedly sneaked out to London to keep his appointment with suspended governor Fubara.

The Southern Examiner investigations revealed that reeling under pressure from several quarters, Tinubu invited suspended governor of Rivers, Sir Siminilayi Joseph Fubara, to a close door meeting in London, the United Kingdom.
As a response to the invitation, the suspended governor travelled out of Nigeria on Saturday and landed at the Frankfurt Airport in Germany en route to London, where both parties reportedly met for at least four hours on varied, but copious political issues.
Political observers informed The Southern Examiner that Fubara’s last Saturday London trip marked his first outing outside the country since he was booted out of office one month ago.

Tinubu had, on March 18, 2025, proclaimed a state of emergency on Rivers for an initial period of six months, citing several unsubstantiated allegations, bothering mainly on non implementation of the Supreme Court judgment of last February 28, 2025.
Following the declaration of an emergency rule on the oil-rich state, Tinubu suspended Governor Fubara, his deputy, Prof Ngozi Odu, and the 32-members of the state legislature, and appointed Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ekwe Ibas as the sole administrator of Rivers.

Since the foisting of the emergency rule, there has been mounting pressure on the president to reinstate the governor and all the dismantled democratic systems in the state, thus bringing to an end the quasi-military administration in Rivers.

Besides calls by some individuals and groups as well as over 11 court cases at the Federal High Courts in Port Harcourt and Abuja and the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the state had in the past three weeks witnessed intermittent protests by different groups of women.

The placards-carrying women were cladded on different colours of black , white, and red, chanting songs to oppose the declaration of emergency rule and the suspension of their governor, Fubara. The protesters, who were dressed half naked, held the protests simultaneously in the 23 local government areas of the state.
It was only one day that a group of women in white clothes as though they were going for a function protested in Port Harcourt in support of the state of emergency and the administration of Ibas.
The Southern Examiner’s investigation revealed that the series of protests and interventions by elders and leaders of Ijaw and the Niger Delta groups made Tinubu most uncomfortable, hence the sudden move to end the impasse and restore democracy.
At the London meeting, it was reliably gathered that President Tinubu placed various options before the Opobo-born accountant turned politician, as pre-conditions for his reinstatement and the restoration of democracy in the state.

Among the issues placed on the table were for the governor to either defect from his Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC, or publicly declare his total support for the second term re-election bid of Mr. President.
Alternatively, Fubara was expected to sign an undertaking to fund and actively participate in Tinubu’s re-election campaign and ensure that Rivers votes were delivered for Tinubu’s electoral victory 2027
The Southern Examiner exclusively gathered that the President’s desperation in securing victory during the 2027 polls was hinged on the public declaration by most of the states in the North, not to back Tinubu’s re-election for a second tenure.
Based on that scenario, political book makers in the President’s think tank believe that they should strive at conquering virtually all the states in the Southern Nigeria while scoring at least 25% in some other states.

Available information showed that Tinubu is fast losing confidence in his political ally and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Chief Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike, as his popularity is fast eroding in Rivers, ostensibly because of his unbearable and disrespectful attitude to elders and his former political mentors.
Consequently, allies to the president have advised Tinubu to transfer his voting records to Abuja and confine himself within the FCT to ensure Mr. President’s overwhelming victory there.
It was for that same purpose that Tinubu had recently warned the FCT Minister to consider himself sacked if he loses at least the minimum required percentage of votes cast.
According to information, since Wike had by his utterances and some of his actions, done a lot of incalculable damage to the reputation of Mr. President and his administration, Governor Fubara, loved by Rivers people and with overwhelming influence on them, could sway their support and votes in Tinubu’s favour.
The new political move by Tinubu has affected the political landscape in Rivers, resulting in Fubara’s Easter message harping on sustaining the unity and stability of the state and calling for total support to the Renewed Hope Agenda programme of Tinubu.
As a result of the political twist, The Southern Examiner was told that there is already a wavering split in the camp of Fubara, the Simplified Movement, with some pledging total loyalty to follow him to anywhere they could retain their political bearing.

Yet, the other members of the group, said to be a negligible few, have threatened to pull out should their principal , Fubara, opts to change ship from the PDP to the APC, which they alleged had already been destroyed by Wike’s political ally, Chief Tony Okocha.
But the situation will be clearer when the suspended governor Fubara returns to base this week. He has a lot to tell his numerous supporters to convince them on the new political approach to getting back power.

The current political manoeuvring is coming on the heels of Wike’s threat that Fubara could only return to his office in Brick House, after seeking for forgiveness and apologise to him
This is another condition that is also threatening to tear the supporters and followers apart, with most of them, including a human rights activist, Madam Ann-Kio Briggs vowing to quit the group if Fubara apologises to Wike, who is already down politically.

The Southern Examiner