The political atmosphere in Rivers State remained calm on Wednesday despite President Bola Tinubu’s announcement lifting the six-month emergency rule imposed on the state.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who was suspended in March, is expected to return to office on Thursday, one of his aides confirmed to Punch.
“The Governor will be back tomorrow (Thursday),” the aide said in a terse response.
Across Port Harcourt, residents were seen discussing the development in small groups before resuming their normal daily activities. In Opobo-Nkoro Local Government Area, the governor’s hometown, natives were also waiting for his return.
An indigene, Ibifuro, expressed mixed feelings, “I’m happy, but nothing much will change because, as it is now, the Governor’s hands are tied. He can’t do things on his own. He is like an infant now who will wait for instructions.”
Supporters of the governor, particularly members of Rivers Women Unite for Sim, are reportedly preparing to welcome him on Thursday.
However, uncertainty remains over whether the fragile reconciliation between Fubara’s camp and that of his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, will hold.
Elder statesman and convener of the Coalition of Rivers State Leaders of Thought (CRSLT), Sunny Chukumele, in an interview with Punch, dismissed the development, warning that Wike had effectively captured the state.
He said, “The so-called emergency rule had a timeline, and that timeline seems to have elapsed today. So we are not excited. The coalition of Rivers State and the leaders of thought that I lead are not excited. Rivers people are not excited either.
“You know, we are not excited because I keep maintaining that it is like going back to Egypt. It’s a journey back to Egypt.”
Chukumele also expressed concern for the three lawmakers who stood by the governor during the political crisis, warning that they could face sanctions from the Speaker, Martins Amaewhule.
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