“Fubara Least Expected What Hit Him” – Information Commissioner

By Adesina Soyooye

Rivers State Commissioner for Information,  Warisenibo Johnson, has revealed that Governor Siminalayi Fubara was taken aback by his removal from office. He said the now suspended Governor did not expect the extreme action taken against him and his Government by President Bola Tinubu. At the time the news of his suspension from office was announced, Fubare was busy implementing tye judgment of the Supreme Court.

The President had, in the afternoon of March 18, declared a State of Emergency in Rivers State and suspended  Fubara, his Deputy,  Dr. Ngozi Ordu and all the Members of the House of Assembly from office, for an initial period of six months. In Fubara’s place, Tinubu appointed a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas, Sole Administrator of the State.

In an interview with Premium Times, the  Commissioner who said he was with the Governor at the Government House, Port Harcourt, till 2.00am Wednesday, said Fubara had become helpless, and cannot quite do anything or take any action; that he was, only, waiting for Ibas to arrive; and has taken what fate threw at him. He also disclosed that at the time he left Government House, scores of Security Agents have taken over the complex, and all activities therein.

On how they feel about the new situation, he said: “Well, it’s an action we never expected because the indices that should have taken us into a state of emergency were not there. In the ding-dong, we were fulfilling the Supreme Court judgement when this hammer came, and as a Government, we have no choice but to allow the will of God to prevail in this matter.”

President Tinubu has since Wednesday afternoon sworn-in Ibas as Sole Administrator and, according to reports, Fubara and his family have vacated Government House Port Harcourt.

Rivers State, since the return of democracy in 1999, has become the first State in the South-south region to be slammed with a State of Emergency.

The action, however, has been met with unprecedented condemnation.