PHOTOS: Protest rocks Rivers as women ask Tinubu to ‘Bring Back Our Fubara’

A crowd of women has trooped to the streets of Aba Road in Port Harcourt to protest the suspension of Rivers Governor Siminalyi Fubara and the imposition of emergency rule in the state. The protest broke out on Friday, April 11, 2025, with the women chanting slogans demanding an end to emergency rule and reinstatement of Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Nma Odu. The demonstrators set out very early in the morning along the major road, before advancing to the Rivers State Government House, bearing placards with bold inscriptions such as “Bring back Fubara”, “Save our democracy”, “Is the law different for Rivers State?”, and “God of justice, arise for Rivers State.” The protesters, who described themselves as mothers and wives, passionately appealed to Tinubu to lift Governor Fubara’s suspension and reinstate all democratic institutions in the state. ALSO READ: PDP governors take Tinubu to Supreme Court over Fubara’s suspension They condemned what they referred to as “unconstitutional military rule masked as a state of emergency,” maintaining that Rivers people deserve better than what they termed an undemocratic arrangement. In a statement signed by Tamunobelema West, Cynthia Amadi, and Nancy Nwankwo, the group alleged that the actions of the Rivers’ Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, are becoming provocative and illegal. The women called on prominent Nigerians, including former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Muhammadu Buhari, and Goodluck Jonathan, to intervene in restoring democratic rule in Rivers. ALSO READ: Rivers crisis deepens as Ibas defies court, installs new administrators Some other protesters who spoke to Channels Television also expressed frustration over the dragging political crisis in the state, noting that, despite the impasse, Fubara had continued to carry out his duties and deliver democratic dividends. “We are a peaceful people and do not deserve this kind of injustice. The governor has been doing his job despite the distractions. What is happening now is not democracy,” one of the protesters said. The protest remained peaceful, as women of all ages joined the march. The demonstrators’ leaders stressed that their action was apolitical and aimed at protecting the state’s democratic values. Recall that Tinubu suspended Fubara, Odu, and the Rivers House of Assembly members following a protracted crisis between the legislature and the executive. He subsequently appointed Ibas to oversee the affairs of the state for an initial period of six months.