Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Thursday returned to office in Port Harcourt to cheers from jubilant supporters, as Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd) formally handed back the reins of power after six months of emergency rule.
The streets of Port Harcourt, the state capital, were filled with massive crowds who sang solidarity songs, waved banners, and thronged the Government House to welcome Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, back to power.
The pair had been suspended from office in March when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu imposed emergency rule following a prolonged political crisis in the state.
The outgone Sole Administrator, Ibas, in a statewide broadcast earlier in the day, said his assignment, restoring law and order and stabilising Rivers State, had been “fully accomplished.”
“Six months ago, President Bola Tinubu entrusted me with the solemn responsibility of steering Rivers State through an extraordinary moment in its history. Today, I can say with conviction that the mandate has been accomplished; law and order has been restored; local government elections have been conducted; statutory boards and commissions reconstituted; and the state budget passed by the National Assembly,” he declared.
Ibas, however, cautioned Rivers people against sliding back into crisis, warning that unchecked power and rivalry without dialogue could endanger democracy.
“May this state never again be brought to the brink of collapse. May we always choose unity over division; dialogue over discord; and progress over paralysis. The Garden City must never lose its fragrance,” he said.
The retired admiral thanked Tinubu for entrusting him with the “onerous task of restoring order” and expressed gratitude to security agencies, elders, civil servants, and citizens for their resilience.
“As I hand back the reins of leadership to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, I do so with confidence and respect. I urge Rivers people to support him wholeheartedly because leadership and followership is a shared responsibility,” he added.
Shortly after the broadcast, Fubara’s convoy drove into Port Harcourt amid chants from supporters. The visibly emotional governor acknowledged the crowds lining the streets and later addressed them briefly at the Government House.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State House of Assembly also resumed sitting on Thursday after six months of inactivity. Speaker Martin Amaewhule arrived the Assembly complex at about 11:33 a.m. to preside over an informal session. The only item listed on the Order Paper was a motion to set a legislative agenda for the remainder of the year for the 10th Assembly.
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