The suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, has called on residents of the state to continue to support the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
In his Easter message, titled ‘Renewed By The Resurrection: Advancing Peace, Unity and Good Governance’, on Saturday, April 19, Fubara called for peace and unity in the state.
“As we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, this Easter, I bring you warm greetings and heartfelt felicitations.
“Easter is a sacred season of reconciliation and unity. It is a time when the peace of Christ dwells richly in our hearts, restoring relationships, comforting the afflicted, feeding the hungry, and healing the brokenhearted.
“It is a time to reaffirm our shared belief that peace shall overcome war, and that even shattered dreams can find new life in the light of the resurrection,” he said.
The embattled governor also reiterated his commitment towards good governance.
“This season renews our confidence that nothing — neither hardship, nor adversity, nor even death — can separate us from the love of God in Christ. In Him, we remain victorious.
“I reiterate my unwavering commitment to delivering good governance to the resilient and dignified people of Rivers State,” he stated.
Fubara further called on Rivers people “to continue to support and align with the Renewed Hope Agenda of our dear President, His Excellency, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, while looking forward to a better tomorrow.
“Let us not lose sight of our collective strength. The transformation we all desire is achievable when we act together as one people under God, committed to peace, unity, and progress,” he added.
Tinubu had on Tuesday, March 18, suspended Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all members of the State House of Assembly while declaring a state of emergency in the state.
He blamed the governor and his predecessor – the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike – for allowing the political crisis in the state, which led to the emergency rule, to escalate.
He particularly criticised Fubara for failing to take action after an oil facility was blown up in the state a day before the declaration.
The president appointed Ibok Ekwe Ibas, a retired rear admiral, as the state administrator.
“I have watched with concern the development with hope that the parties involved will allow good sense to prevail at the soonest, but all that hope burns out without any solution to the crisis.
.“With the crisis persisting, there is no way democratic governance, which we all fought and worked for over the years, can thrive,” said the president.
He explained that as a result of the crisis, the people of the state had been unable to access the dividends of democracy.
He also accused Fubara of demolishing the state House of Assembly Complex as far back as December 2023 without rebuilding it since then.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M