As Governor Siminalayi Fubara prepares to resume office, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on him to remain loyal to the party, reject any enticements from the All Progressives Congress (APC), and launch a thorough investigation into how Rivers State was governed during his six-month suspension under emergency rule.
In separate statements to Vanguard, PDP Deputy National Legal Adviser, Barrister Okechukwu Osuoha, and Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, emphasized that Fubara’s return must be marked by accountability, loyalty to the party, and efforts to restore peace and stability to the oil-rich state.
Osuoha explained that Fubara’s suspension was constitutionally tied to a presidential declaration of emergency aimed at preventing a total breakdown of law and order in Rivers. With the six-month period now expired, the Governor is expected to resume office immediately.
“The suspension was for six months and there has been no extension. Therefore, he must return and assume his role as the Executive Governor of Rivers State,” Osuoha stated. He added that Fubara’s comeback should foster reconciliation, development, and cordial relations between the Executive and Legislative arms of government.
Osuoha also stressed that Fubara must participate fully in PDP activities, reminding him that political success in Nigeria is inseparable from party loyalty.
Osadolor issued a sterner warning, urging Fubara to resist pressure from APC operatives and focus on investigating how the interim administrator, Admiral Ibas, managed the state during the emergency. “The Rivers people will expect accountability for the management of their resources during the period he presided over the state,” Osadolor said.
He added that any wrongdoing uncovered must be met with full legal consequences, noting that Admiral Ibas was never elected by the people and therefore holds no constitutional immunity.
Osadolor further cautioned Fubara against vague political offers from the APC, which could compromise his future ambitions. “These invitations are designed to lure and bury him politically. He must be smart enough to see through them,” he warned.
