BREAKING: Gov Fubara returns to Rivers after Emergency Rule suspension

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, returned to the state on Friday following the suspension of the emergency rule imposed by President Bola Tinubu.

Fubara’s aircraft landed at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, at about 11:55 a.m., where he was received by a cheering crowd of supporters.

Despite his return, the governor had not resumed at the Government House office as of Friday afternoon. On Thursday, the Rivers State House of Assembly reconvened, while hundreds of his supporters who had besieged the Government House in anticipation of his resumption waited in vain.

Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, were suspended from office on March 18 after President Tinubu declared a state of emergency over the deepening political crisis in the state. Tinubu had appointed retired Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as sole administrator to oversee governance during the six-month period.

In his farewell broadcast on Wednesday, Ibas handed over power and appealed to political leaders in the state to embrace dialogue and mutual respect.

The political crisis stemmed from a fallout between Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), over control of Rivers’ political structure. The rift divided the House of Assembly and escalated into violent confrontations.

In June, Tinubu hosted a reconciliation meeting with Fubara, Wike, Assembly Speaker Martin Amaewhule, and other stakeholders.

During his tenure, Ibas inaugurated the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) led by Michael Odey, which conducted local government elections across 23 councils on August 30. The All Progressives Congress (APC) won in 20 councils, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured victory in three.