In a dramatic development in Rivers State’s ongoing political turmoil, a coalition of women took to the streets of Port Harcourt on April 14, 2025, to endorse the state of emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu
Women rally in support of Rivers emergency rule
Dressed in white, the protesters marched from Garrison Flyover to Isaac Boro Park, wielding placards with messages like “State of Emergency is Constitutional” and “We Don’t Want Fubara.”
Led by Ifeyinwa Aguma, a former Commissioner for Social Welfare and ally of Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, the group voiced strong support for Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), appointed by Tinubu as the state’s sole administrator.
They praised Ibas’s efforts and urged him to sustain his work in stabilizing the oil-rich state. This demonstration follows a contrasting protest last week, where another group of women rallied in favor of suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The crisis intensified last month when Tinubu declared a state of emergency on March 18, 2025, citing persistent political unrest and two pipeline explosions as justification.
He suspended Governor Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for an initial six-month period, appointing Ibas to oversee governance. Tinubu described the move as “inevitably compelling” based on security concerns, though it has sparked widespread controversy.
While Monday’s protesters hailed the declaration as constitutional, the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governors have condemned it, filing a legal challenge to contest its legitimacy. The polarized reactions underscore the deep divisions in Rivers State as the crisis continues to unfold.
