By Ehichioya Ezomon
Days after restoration of democratic governance in Rivers State, “busybodies” are honinig strategies to stir a crisis for Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who endured a six-month suspension from office following President Bola Tinubu’s imposition of a state of emergency rule in Rivers on March 18, 2025.
Against his declaration that “no sacrifice was too great to secure peace, stability, and progress of Rivers State,” critics are demanding two things from Fubara: disclose the terms of the “peace agreement” he reached with President Tinubu; and take legal action to reclaim the six months he lost to the emergency rule.
For example, Niger Delta rights activist, Ann-Kio Briggs, says Rivers people deserve to know the terms of the agreement “between Governor Fubara and President Tinubu before the six-month emergency rule ended in the state,” warning that Fubara “might lose credibility” among the people if there’s no accountability.
To Ms Briggs, non-disclosure of the terms of the Rivers peace deal “is unacceptable to people from the riverine area of the state, where the governor hails from.”
“We are the people, who have paid the greatest price in all of these things (Rivers crisis), and to not be aware of the decision which will affect us, and therefore, we can’t gauge the extent to which these decisions will affect us, it becomes very difficult to flow with the politicians,” she said.
“I think it’s not acceptable when politicians make these agreements over our heads; it’s like shaving the head of someone behind their back” – (referencing a maxim popularised by Chief MKO Abiola, winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, which’s annulled by the military junta of retired Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, who, 32 years later in early in 2025, confirmed that Abiola, who died in detention in July 1997 in pursuit of “his mandate,” actually won the poll).
“It’s just an impossible situation where we have found ourselves. We don’t know what the President has insisted on, we don’t know what was agreed upon, and where that leads the people of Rivers State. So, we need to know what was agreed on,” Briggs said.
Actor-turned lawyer and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, argues that “Fubara risks having his guaranteed four-year tenure cut short by six months if he leaves office on May 29, 2027,” and urges him to seek redress in court to reclaim the six months, to enable him complete a full term on November 29, 2027.
Saying Fubara’s elected by the Rivers people to serve them for four years, and “the four years has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to be sacrosanct,” Okonkwo notes that six months have been “illegally, brutally, without reason, taken away from him,” adding, “that means you have denied the Rivers people the four years that the constitution gave them the power to be served by a governor.”
“The constitution is already clear in section 180 subsection 2, that the term of office is four years; the governor vacates his seat after four years from the day he was sworn in. So, if he (Fubara) leaves by May 29, 2027, he has not served for four years,” Okonkwo said.
“So, I’m saying that Fubara has the right by the constitution to seek redress as to his term of office, and the Rivers people have the right to be served for four years by Fubara; that was what they voted him for. So, in my own opinion and to my understanding, his tenure should end on the 29 of November 2027,” he added.
Ms Briggs and Dr Okonkwo made the remarks on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’ on September 21, and Channels Television’s ‘Sunrise Daily’ on Monday, September 22, respectively, in response to lifting of the emergency rule on Wednesday, September 17.
During the emergency, Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and Speaker Martin Amaewhule-headed 32-member Rivers State House of Assembly were suspended from office, and former Chief of Naval Staff, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ekwe Ibas, was appointed sole administrator to oversee affairs of the state.
Upon resumption on Friday, September 19, Fubara promised not to tread a similar route that led to the quasi-marshal rule over Rivers, declaring that all parties in the crisis had accepted the Tinubu-brokered peace deal.
Fubara’s words: “Our Leader, His Excellency, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, CON, all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and I, as your Governor, have all accepted to bury the hatchet and embrace peace and reconciliation in the best interest of our dear Rivers State. We believe the political crisis is now behind us and that peace and stability have once again returned to Rivers State, though not without the hard lessons learnt from the emergency rule.
“The responsibility now rests squarely on us: the Government, the State House of Assembly, political leaders and stakeholders to put aside our differences, work for the common good, and advance the interests of our people above all else. We have a duty to ensure that the peace we have all embraced remains permanent in our dear Rivers State.”
Giving reason he didn’t initiate legal actions against the emergency he describes as “enormously challenging for our dear State,” Fubara said: “As your Governor, I accepted to abide by the state of emergency declaration and chose to cooperate with Mr. President and the National Assembly, guided by my conviction that no sacrifice was too great to secure peace, stability, and progress of Rivers State.
“This was why I also resisted the pressure to challenge the constitutionality of the declaration of a state of emergency, the suspension of democratic institutions, and all other actions that we endured during this difficult period.”
With optimism about his political future, Fubara sent a direct message of “peace over war” to aggrieved and agitated individuals and groups: “To those who have expressed genuine fears, frustrations, and uncertainty over the nature of the peace process, I assure you that your concerns are valid and understood.
“However, nothing has been irretrievably lost; there remains ample opportunity for necessary adjustments, continued reconciliation, and inclusiveness. We must all remember the saying… “the costliest peace is cheaper than the cheapest war.”
But the purveyors of “no gree for anyone” – who “misadvised” Fubara in his tussle with his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Wike – are again recommending tactics that boxed him into a political cul-de-sac.
Having admitted that “nothing has been irretrievably lost,” Fubara shouldn’t reward the prodding of “do-gooders” – no matter how well-intentioned – to reveal the terms of the “peace agreement,” and to seek judicial remedy to complete a full term of four years in office.
The governor should flee from them, as once bitten, twice shy! He should remind them that their prior advice was a disastrous ricochet that left him wandering in the political wilderness of “had I known, I would’ve listened to the little voice within,” and not the noise from an emotive mob that most always leads astray.
Re-amplifying to them that he’s left behind a perpetual state of flux in Rivers State, and that henceforth, “You no go gree for dem,” Fubara should redirect the “crisismongers” to the text of his speech upon return to office, in which he pledged thus:
• That our government’s immediate responsibility is to return to the path of governance and development by completing the projects already started, ensuring that none is starved of funds or neglected, to revive Rivers economy, protect lives and property, and improve the wellbeing of all Rivers people.
• That we commit to working harmoniously with the Rivers State House of Assembly, to recover lost grounds and accelerate the social and economic advancement of our dear State, while also renewing our pledge to serve with the fear of God, humility and a high sense of duty.
• That all should draw strength from the shared identity as Rivers people, their diversity their greatest asset, and their unity the strongest guarantee of their future; and that they must rise above bitterness and division and channel their energies into rebuilding trust, fostering inclusiveness, and securing a peaceful and prosperous state for all.
Fubara should also stand by his appreciations to all stakeholders in the Rivers crisis, and those involved in the process of arriving at its peaceful resolution, including the good people of Rivers State, home and abroad, and well-wishers; President Tinubu; Chief Wike; Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House of Representatives Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, and members of the National Assembly; Speaker Martin Amaewhule and members of Rivers State House of Assembly; and all concerned citizens “for working together to resolve our differences and ensuring peace and harmony in our State.”
Lastly, with permanent peace being implanted to stem further crisis, Governor Fubara should renew his call to all citizens of Rivers State, regardless of political, religious, or ethnic affiliation, “to join hands in rebuilding our beloved State and securing a future of dignity and progress for everyone” – all to the glory of the Almighty God.
*Mr Ezomon, journalist, writes from Lagos, Nigeria. Can be reached on X, Threads, Facebook and WhatsApp @EhichioyaEzomon. Tel: 08033078357.
