Thousands of supporters who thronged the Government House in Port Harcourt on Thursday morning to welcome Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, left disappointed after waiting in vain for several hours.
Many of the enthusiastic supporters, who arrived as early as 6 a.m. from different parts of the state, including rural areas, began dispersing between 12 noon and 1 p.m. when the governor failed to show up.
Some of their leaders, including sacked local government chairmen loyal to Fubara, were seen making frantic phone calls as the governor’s whereabouts remained unclear as of 1 p.m. Among them were the immediate past chairman of Obio/Akpor, Chijoke Ihunwo, and his Port Harcourt City counterpart, Ezebunwo Itche-Mati, who had led groups of supporters to the venue.
Notably absent were supporters of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, including the newly elected LG chairmen, who did not join the gathering.
Frustration grew among the crowd as the hours passed. “We are going because we are hungry. Maybe when the governor comes, we will return,” one supporter said while leaving the Government House gate.
The gathering coincided with the official expiration of the six-month state of emergency imposed on Rivers State. The measure was declared by President Bola Tinubu in March following the political crisis between Governor Fubara and the State House of Assembly, which is dominated by Wike’s loyalists.
During the emergency rule, Tinubu appointed retired Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as administrator after dissolving political structures in the state. However, the President on Wednesday declared an end to the emergency, paving the way for the restoration of full democratic governance.
Earlier in the day, Port Harcourt had been a sea of excitement, with jubilant supporters, politicians, and stakeholders converging on the Government House in anticipation of Fubara’s return to office. Various groups, some dressed in uniforms, were seen outside the gates singing and celebrating the restoration of democratic rule.
Residents interviewed by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) expressed optimism that the governor’s return would usher in a new era of stability and development for the oil-rich state.
But by midday, the mood shifted to disappointment as the much-anticipated appearance of Governor Fubara failed to materialize, leaving his supporters hungry and disheartened.
