A Facebook user, Agozi Commedy, posted a video claiming that President Bola Tinubu ordered the sole administrator of Rivers State, Ibok-Ete Ibas, to hand over power to the suspended Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
The video shows Fubara with military personnel and other individuals. The caption reads:
“Congratulations the military have handover to Fubara. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu order the sole Administrator to hand over power to Governor SIM Fubara with immediate effect.”
The claim surfaced amid the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State, where Tinubu had declared a state of emergency following a power struggle involving Fubara, the legislative arm, and former governor (now FCT Minister) Nyesom Wike.
The claim also came shortly after reports that President Tinubu and Fubara met in London.
The post had garnered over 200 likes and more than 160 shares as of April 26, 2025.
CLAIM
President Tinubu ordered the Rivers State sole administrator to hand over to suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
Checks reveal that no credible news outlet has reported any directive from President Tinubu to that effect.
A reverse image search and keyword investigation also showed that the video has been online since March 5, 2025, weeks before the latest political developments in Rivers State.
The video was first published by Symfoni Media with the caption: “Fubara lands at Air Force Base, meets with Chief of Army Staff.”
The video simply shows Fubara greeting army chiefs and other dignitaries and later inspecting military officers on parade.
Notably, Fubara was suspended from office on March 18, 2025, nearly two weeks after the video was uploaded.
This confirms that the footage predates both the state of emergency declaration and Fubara’s suspension.
THE VERDICT
The claim that President Tinubu ordered the Rivers State sole administrator to hand over to suspended Governor Fubara is FALSE. No such directive was issued, and the video being circulated is old.
This report is republished from the Factcheckhub
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.