South-South Leaders Demand Immediate Reinstatement of Fubara

Prominent leaders, activists, legal practitioners, and other stakeholders from the South-South region have urged President Bola Tinubu to reinstate Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara without delay. They maintain that his suspension on March 18, alongside his deputy and members of the State House of Assembly, was unconstitutional, and that the state of emergency imposed on Rivers State should be lifted before its scheduled end on September 18. According to them, the political situation that triggered the emergency has long been resolved.

The group noted that both Fubara and his political mentor, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, publicly reconciled in June with the president’s knowledge, removing any justification for the continued suspension of democratic governance in the state. They stressed that the peace and stability currently prevailing in Rivers should encourage the presidency to restore the elected officials without further delay.

Elder Joseph Ambakederimo, convener of the South-South Reawakening Group, said the president had no reason to wait out the six-month timeline before ending emergency rule. He noted that the National Assembly had already passed the state budget, further underscoring that governance should return to normal. The focus, he added, should be on progress rather than revisiting old political disputes.

The Ijaw National Congress president, Professor Benjamin Okaba, and former Ijaw Youth Council leader, Eric Omare, condemned the suspension as a constitutional violation that undermines Nigeria’s democracy. They argued that the Supreme Court case on the matter was neglected by stakeholders, stressing that unconstitutional actions must be challenged if the country’s democratic institutions are to grow stronger.