Fubara: ‘Tinubu Has Sacrificed Rivers People For His Interest In 2027’ – Rivers Elders

Some elders in Rivers State have downplayed the imminent return of the suspended state Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, as the six-month emergency rule comes to an end in a few days.
The elders argued that the prolonged suspension had tamed Fubara and shifted political momentum in favour of his political godfather and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesome Wike.
Naija News reports that President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency on March 16th, 2025, in response to rising political tension and the alleged attack on oil pipelines by suspected militants in the state.
Tinubu suspended Fubara, his Deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, and the state House of Assembly for an initial period of six months and appointed former Chief of Naval Staff, Ibok-Ete Ibas, as the State Administrator.
In an interview with Punch, a member of the Rivers State Elders Council, Sunny Chukumele, lamented that the state had been captured by the events of the last six months under the emergency rule.
Chukumele, who is the convener of the Coalition of Rivers State Leaders of Thought, said Wike had taken control of the state, but stressed that the people would ultimately decide its future.
He accused President Bola Tinubu of sacrificing the state for his 2027 ambition, stressing that Fubara had been subdued in the name of peace.
He said, “The state is captured. That is my position. We will only get back to where we were before the liberation, and now it is back to Egypt. Rivers State has been successfully captured. The future of the state would be determined by the people of the state going forward.
“The state is divided into two, Nyesom Wike and Rivers State. The governor has been cowed for the so-called peace to reign. But that peace is in the graveyard, and it is unfortunate. Rivers people look helpless, desolate and abandoned to their fate.
“The new political class has taken over. The President has sacrificed Rivers people for his interest in 2027. So it is for Rivers people to determine who to follow.”
Similarly, a member of the Rivers Elders Forum, Asukewe Iko-Awaji, stated that the six-month break had eroded the political strength Fubara had before leaving office.
He noted that his prolonged absence had dented the governor’s early momentum, cordiality and damaged the state’s economy.
He said, “The truth is that damage has been made. That spirit of brotherhood is no longer there. The bad seed has been sown.
“If Fubara returns, the cordial relationship amongst them won’t be there again. They will be suspicious of each other because the bad egg has been laid. This is what the Rivers people will face. It will take them months to blend again.
“The man has been away from office for six months. Some of the companies working in the state have pulled out and it will take another six months to put himself together to bring back these companies.
“Before the declaration of this emergency, a lot of projects were going on. When Ibas came, he abandoned those projects and some companies pulled out. Now he is going to appoint people.”
However, a strong ally of the FCT Minister, Olaka Wogu, in his submission, said Fubara’s return may not have any dramatic effects on the state’s political landscape.
He argued that, despite President Tinubu’s efforts to broker peace between Fubara and Wike, the people of Rivers would ultimately determine the governor’s move.
Wogu stressed that while some people had misconceived Wike’s pronouncements since his protracted supremacy battle with Fubara began, the FCT minister had only demonstrated “pure honesty” in his dealings.
He said, “Sometimes people over-speculate on Wike. The man puts things in plain sight, but people don’t listen. Wike will tell you, ‘I wasn’t for a state of emergency, I was going to impeach him. We have resolved, we are moving on, and I will be honest and I will be frank. I will say it as I want.’ That’s how Wike does things, it is pure honesty.
“The fact is that the man fought for his structure and kept it. The governor is part of the structure.” 
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