Why Fubara is yet to resume office despite his reinstatement
Governor Siminalayi Fubara did not appear at the Rivers State Government House on Thursday despite his reinstatement after six months of emergency rule declared by President Bola Tinubu in March.
Supporters who gathered in Port Harcourt to welcome him were left disappointed when he failed to show up.
The governor was expected to resume duties immediately, but sources disclosed that he remained in Abuja as talks over sensitive political appointments in the state stretched late into the night.
The unresolved negotiations reportedly centred on key positions such as the Secretary to the State Government, Chief of Staff, and most commissioner slots.
Insiders alleged that former Rivers governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, was pushing for these offices to be filled with his loyalists.
“We can’t say for now if any agreement has been reached,” one of the sources told Punch.
Close aides confirmed that Fubara would return to Port Harcourt on Friday to continue his work, though they declined to give details.
“The governor is in Abuja. He will be coming to Port Harcourt to resume work on Friday. That is all I can say for now,” an aide stated.
The situation has fueled speculations of an internal power tussle, even as Wike denied any attempt to control the state government.
He insisted publicly that he had no interest in imposing candidates on Fubara’s administration.
“I cannot go and impose anything on the governor. Why would I impose anything on the governor? Assuming I go to the governor and say, ‘I want this,’ will the state collapse? I will not. I have no candidate, and I will not,” Wike said.
Wike dismissed concerns over Fubara’s absence following his reinstatement.
“I am not his (Fubara) protocol or chief security officer. There is no law that says he must resume work today (Thursday). He is a governor. I don’t understand the way we operate. Being sworn in today does not mean I will go to the office tomorrow.
“You don’t know what my programmes are. You don’t know where he is. Governance does not mean one must be in the office to govern.”
