Hundreds of women in Rivers State staged a dramatic walkout during a federal empowerment programme in Port Harcourt on Friday, rejecting an appearance by Dr. Theresa Ibas, wife of the state’s Sole Administrator, and demanding to be addressed by either the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, or the wife of the elected governor, Lady Valerie Sim-Fubara.
The event, held at the EUI Event Centre, was part of the Renewed Hope Initiative, aimed at empowering 500 women in the state. But tensions flared when it became clear that neither Tinubu nor Valerie Fubara would be present.
As Ibas approached the podium to speak on behalf of the First Lady, the women began chanting, “We want SIM! We want Valerie Fubara!” — voicing support for Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his wife, and rejecting the Sole Administrator’s representation.
“We dressed up to welcome our First Lady,” said Favour Ekpeye, one of the protesters. “But if she couldn’t come, they should have sent our governor’s wife, not someone we don’t recognise.”
Ekpeye clarified that the protest was not against the President’s wife, but against what the women saw as a political slight. “We love and support Remi Tinubu for what she’s doing for women,” she said. “But Rivers women stand with Governor Fubara.”
Efforts by organisers to calm the crowd failed as the women gradually exited the venue, chanting in solidarity.
The protest reflects growing grassroots opposition in the state amid political tension between Governor Fubara and federal-aligned interests.
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