The suspended governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, has declared that his spirit has left the Government House, Port Harcourt.
He made the remarks on Sunday in response to several speakers who addressed him as “governor” and strongly criticised his suspension, calling for his immediate reinstatement at the service of songs held in honour of the late elder statesman, Edwin Clark, in Port Harcourt, the state capital, organised by the Rivers Elders Forum yesterday.
Fubara told them: “do you even know if I want to go back there? My spirit has already left there.”
According to Fubara, their comments were not likely to promote peace, describing them as the opinions of the speakers.
He revealed that the actions of some of his supporters, though well-intended, had only worsened his situation.
He told them to face the tribute of Edwin Clark who lived a “selfless life” advocating for the Niger Delta region and not make it about politics.
“Not everything is by oshogbe,” he said adding that he prefers a more strategic and less confrontational approach to the ongoing political crisis.
Fubara in a statement by his spokesperson, Nelson Chukwudi, after the event told his supporters to stop undermining the state’s political situation and follow his strategic steps towards enduring peace by showing restraint.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had in March imposed a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspended Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the state House of Assembly for six months.
Thereafter, the president appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas (rtd) as the state’s administrator to oversee governance, following which both chambers of the National Assembly ratified the state of emergency.
But Tinubu’s decision led to widespread protests as well as legal actions by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governors and other political leaders, legal experts as well as Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).
