A legal practitioner, Nazir Sunusi, has said that the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, will not face any difficulty after returning to office, having allegedly pandered to the whim of his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.

Nazir, who stated this on Channels Television’s Lunchtime Politics on Thursday, alleged that Fubara would not have any problem moving forward because he [Fubara] had agreed to be loyal to higher authorities.

‘‘Fubara has agreed to play to their tunes, so I don’t think that he will face any problem moving forward. Because he has agreed to play to their tune, he will do whatever the former governor wants him to do,” he stated.

“The State House of Assembly members are under the control of the former governor, so if the current governor continues to be loyal to the former governor, I believe they will cooperate with him,” he added.

Nazir further said that President Bola Tinubu had achieved what he wanted from the state of emergency he declared in March.

“The President has achieved what he intended to achieve by declaring the state of emergency, that is, to bring the governor under the control of his former boss or his political godfather, that is, Nyesom Wike,” he stated.

Seeks S’Court Interpretation

The lawyer, however, said that the Supreme Court should give a ruling stating whether the President has the power to remove an elected official from office.

He stated, “Since this thing will happen again, the Supreme Court should rise to the occasion when such a matter is brought to the court.

“It should be treated with all the urgency it deserves, so that we can have a binding precedent. So that we can understand if the President has the power to suspend and remove elected officials or not. We need a pronouncement of the Supreme Court to that effect.”

Rivers Crisis

Months into his term as the governor, Fubara fell out with Wike, who is Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT, and some members of the House of Assembly loyal to the minister.

Citing a political crisis that threatened the peace and development in the state, President Tinubu declared a six-month emergency rule in Rivers on March 18, 2025, suspending the governor, his deputy, and the state lawmakers.

He also appointed retired Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as a sole administrator, a decision that attracted condemnation from critics and commendation from supporters of the President.

Tinubu, however, ended the emergency rule on Wednesday, paving the way for Fubara, his deputy, and the state lawmakers to resume office. (Channels TV)