Suspended Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara has reacted to calls for his reinstatement.
Fubara declared that he may no longer be interested in returning to the seat of power.
He made this known in Port Harcourt during a service of songs organised in memory of the late elder statesman, Edwin Clark.
While several speakers at the event referred to Fubara as “Governor” and condemned his suspension, he distanced himself from those remarks, saying they reflected individual opinions and not his personal stance.
Fubara said his spirit had already moved on from the office and warned that some of his supporters, although acting with good intentions, had only complicated his situation.
“Do you even know if I want to go back there? My spirit has already left there,” he said.
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He used the occasion to urge attendees to focus on honouring Edwin Clark, who was known for championing the interests of the Niger Delta region, instead of turning the event into a political gathering.
Rivers State has remained tense following the political standoff between Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
President Bola Tinubu stepped in last December and brokered a peace agreement between both men, but it did not last.
In March, the situation took a new turn when President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspended Fubara and his deputy, and dissolved the state government.
He then appointed retired naval officer Ibok-Ete Ibas to take over administration as the sole authority in the state.
In response to these actions, eleven governors under the Peoples Democratic Party took the matter to the Supreme Court, challenging the President’s move.
However, the National Assembly asked the court to dismiss the case, describing it as baseless and claiming that the Supreme Court had no right to hear it.
They also requested a penalty of N1 billion to be imposed on the governors who filed the suit.
