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Rivers supporters flood Port Harcourt airport to await Governor Fubara’s return.
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Fubara’s absence after reinstatement stirs concerns, as Assembly resumes without him.
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Wike says no law compels immediate resumption, governance extends beyond physical presence.
A massive crowd of supporters on Friday stormed the Port Harcourt International Airport to await the much-anticipated arrival of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, following the lifting of the six-month state of emergency imposed on the state by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the supporters, dressed in colourful attires and holding placards with inscriptions of solidarity, converged at the airport hours before his expected return. Many chanted songs of praise and waved banners, expressing excitement that their governor would soon resume official duties after months of federal control.
President Tinubu had on Thursday, September 18, formally ended the emergency rule in Rivers State, restoring democratic governance. However, Governor Fubara did not make any public appearance on the day of his reinstatement, leaving thousands of his supporters who had gathered at the Rivers State Government House disappointed as they returned home without seeing him.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State House of Assembly had already resumed plenary on Thursday at the Assembly Residential Complex in Port Harcourt. Lawmakers pressed for urgent governance matters, including the presentation of a fresh budget and submission of commissioner nominees, but neither Fubara nor his deputy was present at the session.
Amid growing curiosity about the governor’s whereabouts, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, sought to calm tensions. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Wike dismissed speculations about Fubara’s absence, insisting that there is no legal obligation for him to physically resume work immediately after reinstatement.
“I am not his protocol officer. I am not his Chief Security Officer. There is no law that says he must resume work today. He is a governor,” Wike said. “Governance does not mean one must be in the office to govern. Being reinstated today does not mean he has to appear in the office tomorrow.”
He added that Fubara retains full prerogative to determine when and how he resumes, stressing that governance is not restricted to physical presence.
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