Democracy returned to Rivers State yesterday, after President Bola Tinubu lifted the 6-month emergency rule, but the absence of Governor Siminalayi Fubara from duty sparked fresh suspense across the state.
However, while thousands of supporters thronged Port-Harcourt streets expecting Fubara’s triumphant return, the governor was nowhere to be found, fueling doubts over whether he had even returned from his overseas stay during the crisis.
In sharp contrast, the Rivers State House of Assembly, which was suspended alongside the governor in March, wasted no time reconvening for plenary. Presided over by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, the lawmakers moved swiftly to launch a probe into the finances of the state during the tenure of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, who served as sole administrator throughout the emergency rule.
The Assembly, sitting at the legislative quarters as its main complex remains under reconstruction, also requested the governor to forward names of commissioner nominees for screening without delay.
The March declaration of emergency rule by Tinubu had followed the protracted feud between Fubara and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, which plunged the state into months of political instability. During the period, democratic structures were dissolved, with Ibas installed as sole administrator.
For now, all eyes remain on Governor Fubara as Rivers awaits his long-overdue return to the seat of power.
