A group of women in Rivers State staged a protest on Friday morning in Port Harcourt, the state capital, demanding the reinstatement of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and an end to the emergency rule declared in the state.
The protest, which began in the early hours of the day, saw the women chanting slogans and wielding placards with inscriptions such as ‘We need our democracy restored’, ‘#BringBackFubara’, ‘Obey the rule of law’, and ‘Save our democracy’.
‘We want Governor Fubara back’, one of the protesters was heard saying in videos circulating on X.
It was gathered that the demonstration culminated in a march to the Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt, where the women called for a return to democratic governance and described the current political situation in the state as ‘unconstitutional’.
The protest comes in response to the suspension of Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
President Bola Tinubu had declared a state of emergency in the oil-rich state on 18 March, citing a prolonged political crisis.
Following the declaration, Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired naval chief, was appointed as the sole administrator of the state.
Videos circulating on social media showed the women chanting solidarity songs and demanding an end to what they termed a ‘breach of democratic principles’.
