Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has urged traditional rulers across the state to remain neutral, promote fairness and maintain peace in their communities as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Fubara made the call on Wednesday while declaring open the 126th, 127th and 128th combined quarterly meeting of the Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council in Port Harcourt.
The governor said traditional rulers had a responsibility to administer justice and ensure fairness, warning that their actions should not fuel divisions or trigger crises that could become difficult for the government to manage.
“Let me therefore request, if that is the right word to use, that please, as we are entering into this political season actively, everyone should ensure that your conduct promotes peace in your place,” he said.
“Your actions should not be what would lead to the division and multiple crises that we cannot manage as a government.”
He said maintaining peace and unity would enable residents to live together harmoniously and allow the state to sustain its development efforts.
Fubara also urged the traditional rulers to abide by the oaths and constitutional provisions governing their positions, stressing that they had a duty to protect the stability and progress of Rivers State.
He called on the royal fathers to set aside personal interests and sentiments and place the collective interest of the state above individual considerations.
The governor said the principle of prioritising public interest had also guided his approach to governance.
“This is not just what I’m saying here; it is what I’ve also practised and displayed in my day-to-day life in the governance of our dear state,” he said.
On calls for improved welfare for traditional rulers, Fubara said delays in addressing some of their previous requests were not caused by the state government but by the council’s inability to resolve certain internal issues.
He also clarified that stipends paid to traditional rulers by local government councils were statutory benefits provided for under the law and could not be altered by a governor through verbal pronouncements.
The governor assured the traditional rulers that he remained committed to fulfilling his promises to them before leaving office next year.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers and Paramount Ruler of Apara Kingdom, His Royal Majesty Chike Amadi Worlu Wodo, thanked the state government for its efforts to maintain a cordial relationship with the traditional institution.
Wodo highlighted the role of traditional rulers in resolving disputes, noting that their closeness to residents placed them in a strategic position to mediate in chieftaincy matters, family disputes and land ownership conflicts.
He said the traditional institution remained important to conflict resolution and the maintenance of peace within communities across Rivers State.
