- Tinubu Yet to Reinstate Fubara Despite Pleas.
- Jonathan, IYC, Bode George lead calls for governor’s return.
- Appeals linked to spirit of national reconciliation and June 12.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is yet to reinstate Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, despite growing calls and high-level interventions urging him to use the June 12 Democracy Day celebration to reverse the earlier suspension.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that that expectations were high that Tinubu would announce the return of Governor Fubara during his Democracy Day address. However, while the President granted posthumous pardons to Ken Saro-Wiwa and others and conferred national honours on notable Nigerians, he did not address the situation in Rivers State or lift the State of Emergency declared in March.
Recall that on March 18, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, announcing a six-month suspension of Governor Fubara, his deputy, Dr. Ngozi Odu, and the State House of Assembly over political unrest.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan was reportedly involved in quiet negotiations with Tinubu, making personal appeals for Fubara’s reinstatement as a gesture of national reconciliation. Sources revealed that Jonathan had at least one private phone conversation with Tinubu and facilitated two recent visits by Fubara to the Presidential Villa.
“Judging by the President’s body language, there is hope that Fubara may be reinstated before the six-month period elapses,” one source close to the matter told Vanguard.
Also weighing in, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide issued a statement urging President Tinubu to lift the State of Emergency and restore constitutional governance in Rivers State. Dr. Theophilus Alaye, IYC President, appealed to Tinubu to honour democratic values by reinstating the elected officials.
In a separate appeal, former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, called on Tinubu to show magnanimity by reinstating Fubara. In an open letter commemorating June 12, George recalled Tinubu’s active role in Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggle and urged him to act in the spirit of the day.
“If the President could forgive Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, then spiritually and morally, it is right to do the same for Fubara,” George said. He added that returning Fubara would be a fitting tribute to the heroes of Nigeria’s democracy movement.
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