Thousands of supporters of Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, who thronged the Government House in Port Harcourt on Thursday, were left disappointed after the reinstated governor failed to show up hours after his anticipated return.
The crowd, made up of men and women from different parts of the state, including rural communities, began arriving as early as 6am in what many expected to be a triumphant welcome for the governor. By noon, however, frustration began to set in as the governor’s whereabouts remained unknown.
By 1 pm, many had started leaving the Government House gates, expressing disappointment after waiting under the scorching sun without food or water.
“We are going because we are hungry. Maybe when the governor comes, we will return,” one supporter said while leaving the premises.
Among those seen leading groups of supporters were sacked local government chairmen loyal to Fubara, including the immediate-past chairman of Obio/Akpor, Chijoke Ihunwo, and his Port Harcourt City counterpart, Ezebunwo Itche-Mati. The former officials were observed making frantic phone calls as the wait dragged on.
Conspicuously absent were supporters of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as well as the newly elected local government council chairmen who are seen as loyal to him.
The development came on the heels of the expiration of the six-month emergency rule imposed on Rivers State following the political standoff between Fubara and the state House of Assembly, dominated by Wike’s loyalists.
Recall that in March, President Bola Tinubu dissolved existing political structures in the state and appointed Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.) as sole administrator to restore order. On Wednesday, the President formally declared an end to the State of Emergency, paving the way for the resumption of full democratic governance in the oil-rich state.
For many of Fubara’s supporters, however, Thursday’s no-show dampened the sense of their renewed hope.
