More protests rocked Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Wednesday as women under the aegis of the Rivers Women Unite Prayer Group took to the streets to demand the reversal of the emergency rule imposed by President Bola Tinubu and the subsequent suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Wednesday’s protest comes just days after a similar demonstration on Monday.
The protesting women declared both the emergency rule and the appointment of a Sole Administrator as illegal actions.
Meanwhile, on the same day, the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Rivers State Oversight invited the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd), to appear before it in Abuja on Thursday, April 17.
Following the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State by President Tinubu and the subsequent appointment of Admiral Ibas to oversee the running of the state for an initial period of six months, the National Assembly, citing Section 11 of the Constitution, resolved to take over the legislative functions of the suspended State Assembly.
On Tuesday, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, inaugurated a 21-member committee chaired by the House Leader, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, charging members to carry out their duties without bias or partisanship.
A statement issued by the House spokesman, Akin Rotimi, on Wednesday, said, “Pursuant to its constitutional mandate to exercise full legislative oversight in accordance with Section 11(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Committee resolved, among other matters, to invite Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd), the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, to appear before it for a comprehensive interactive session.”
The statement quoted Prof. Ihonvbere as saying, “This engagement is necessary to ascertain the true state of affairs in Rivers State and ensure that the House remains properly guided in the discharge of its oversight responsibilities in the public interest.”
The Sole Administrator is expected to appear before the committee on Thursday, April 17, 2025, at 4:00 PM, in Room 414, House of Representatives New Building, National Assembly Complex, Abuja.
A formal letter of invitation has been sent and acknowledged. The public announcement was made to reinforce transparency in the Committee’s proceedings.
Reacting to the invitation, Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Sole Administrator, Hector Igbikiowubo, assured that his principal would honour the invitation.
“It is within the right of the National Assembly, and the committee is doing its job. So we are very well disposed to honouring the invitation. We don’t have a problem with it,” he said.
On the preparation to present a new 2025 Appropriation Bill for the state, Igbikiowubo stated that although the administration is still new, the process is ongoing.
“You know this administration is barely a month old—call it three weeks. However, we are in the process of doing that. It is a process. It is not something that happens overnight. It is something you put together based on the NEEDS assessment. The NEEDS are being assessed and packaged,” he explained.
The protesting women, who came from all 23 local government areas of the state, also called for the removal of the state Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, over alleged harassment of demonstrators by his men.
They carried placards with inscriptions such as “Ibas, your policies are one-sided,” “We are gagged in our LGAs,” and “Rivers CP must go.”
A statement signed by Dr. Nancy Chidi Nwankwo and Dr. Vivian Ige-Elenwo was read to journalists at the protest venue in Port Harcourt.
Expressing their displeasure, Nwankwo said, “Once again, and for the umpteenth time, we, the women of Rivers State under the umbrella of the Rivers Women Unite Prayer Group, strongly reiterate our unwavering demand for the immediate termination of the unconstitutional and unjust emergency rule currently imposed on our dear state.
“We firmly reject every attempt to stifle the voices of our people or frustrate legitimate dissent. We condemn in strong terms the dictatorial tendencies of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas and the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju.
“On Friday, April 11, 2025, we held a peaceful protest against the injustice meted out to our state. Shockingly, the police responded with force, deploying tear gas and brute intimidation in a bid to silence our democratic right to peaceful assembly.
“Yet, on Monday, April 14, 2025, the same Vice Admiral Ibas reportedly sponsored a counter-protest, hiring thugs to masquerade as Rivers women in support of the illegal state of emergency—an act that was shamefully protected by the same Police Commissioner who had earlier brutalized real Rivers women for peacefully speaking out.”
The women added, “This selective protection of sycophants while repressing genuine voices of concern is a grave injustice. We therefore demand the following, without equivocation: the immediate removal of the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju; an urgent and total end to the illegal state of emergency imposed on Rivers State; the full restoration of all democratic institutions, including the reinstatement of the duly elected Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara; and the redeployment of military personnel to regions where they are truly needed, where citizens are being slaughtered and communities are being ravaged by terrorists.”
Decrying the economic impact of the emergency rule, the women said businesses were shutting down, planned investments were being relocated, and the state’s economy was in decline.
“As always, it is our women and children who bear the brunt of this upheaval and economic hardship,” Nwankwo said.
“We call on all Nigerians of conscience, civil society groups, and particularly the National Assembly, to continue to speak out against this impunity and urgently act to reverse this deeply unpopular decision,” she stated.
Credit: Punch