Women in Rivers State have continued to protest the declaration of emergency rule and the suspension of the state Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, calling for his reinstatement.
President Bola Tinubu had declared a state of emergency in the state on March 18, appointing retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as Sole Administrator.
In their continued protest against the emergency rule, hundreds of Rivers women staged a walkout on Friday during an empowerment programme after the wife of the State Sole Administrator, Dr Theresa Ibas, appeared to represent the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Remi Tinubu.
The event, held at the EUI Event Centre in the GRA area of Port Harcourt, was part of the Renewed Hope Initiative, a women’s empowerment programme organised by the Office of the First Lady.
Information gathered that the women had arrived at the venue of the programme in colourful attires, eager to welcome the President’s wife, whom they were told would be present.
However, the mood changed abruptly when the wife of the State Sole Administrator appeared to address the audience instead of the First Lady.
Her presence sparked outrage, as many women stood up in protest, chanting slogans and calling for the wife of the suspended Rivers State Governor, Mrs Valerie Sim-Fubara, whom they referred to as the only First Lady they recognised.
The women chanted, “We want SIM,” a reference to Fubara, declaring that they would accept an address only from the wife of the President or Fubara’s wife.
One of the protesters stated, “We want Valerie Sim-Fubara or Remi Tinubu to address us, not the wife of an impostor.”
Another woman said, “We don’t know Ibas. Tinubu is our President, and SIM Fubara is our Governor. In this state, our First Lady is Mrs Valerie Fubara.”
Speaking to journalists, a participant, Favour Ekpeye, clarified that the walkout was not against the First Lady but a rejection of Ibas’ wife.
“It’s not true that we rejected the wife of the President. We were told to come and welcome Her Excellency, Senator Remi Tinubu, and we dressed up for it. We were excited to welcome and appreciate her good deeds through the empowerment programmes. But Rivers women are not fragile. We have a Governor we love, and we support him.”
“We have a First Lady in the state. We believe in one President at a time and one Governor at a time. We support our mummy of the nation and her efforts to empower women. But we will not accept being addressed by someone who doesn’t represent the people.”
Another participant who declined to give her name said, “We were told the First Lady of Nigeria would be here. If not her, then the wife of our Governor should speak to us, not someone else.”
Efforts by the organisers to calm the situation were unsuccessful, as the chanting of “We want SIM” grew louder and the women gradually exited the venue.
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