Suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has said he is not eager to return to office, nearly two months after President Bola Tinubu imposed a state of emergency in the state.
Fubara made the statement on Sunday at a service of songs in Port Harcourt in honour of the late elder statesman and Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) leader, Chief Edwin Clark.
“Can’t you see how better I look? Do you think I am interested in it? Do you even know if I want to go back there? My spirit has already left that place long ago,” Fubara said.
“If I had my way, I would say this is it. This is the will of God. I don’t wish to go back there. My spirit has left that place.”
Fubara’s remarks came in response to several speakers at the event who addressed him as “Governor” and condemned his suspension. He distanced himself from their comments, warning that such statements would not help restore peace in the state.
“Not everything is by Oshogbe, I want everybody to focus, there are some fights you don’t fight,” he said.
President Tinubu declared a six-month emergency rule in Rivers on March 18, suspending Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and members of the state House of Assembly. The move followed renewed attacks on oil pipelines and a power struggle between Fubara and lawmakers loyal to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
Tinubu appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas as sole administrator of the state. Ibas has since named caretakers for all 23 local government areas.
The emergency rule has been widely criticised. The Nigerian Bar Association called it illegal, while former President Goodluck Jonathan and Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka also expressed concern over the move’s impact on democracy.
Fubara has continued to call for calm, reiterating his commitment to peace and lawful governance.
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