Rivers State Labour Party Chairperson and veteran Nollywood actress, Hilda Dokubo, has called for the reinstatement of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, following a state of emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu.
The political crisis has led to the suspension of Governor Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months. Retired Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas has been appointed as administrator of the state.
Speaking during News Central’s Town Hall meeting on May 15, Dokubo voiced frustration over the state’s leadership vacuum:
“We’re not sure who is governing… Before we arrived here, we had a governor elected by his people… If we say the way he came in was wrong, then everyone was wrong coming in.”
“The utterances always bordered on one thing: who owns the state? Who leads the state? You can’t have a governor and have another person who is in charge.”
She criticised the leadership style that has left Rivers residents feeling abandoned:
“We were a people without protection. We just existed in the country and everything that belongs to us disappeared.”
Drawing historical parallels with past administrations, she warned of the recurring pattern of political ambition diverting resources from the state:
“When Governor Peter Odili was here… the interest was more on becoming president. The same thing reoccurred with the former governor, now minister.”
Asserting that democracy had already spoken through the ballot box, Dokubo made a passionate appeal:
“Can we allow the people of Rivers State decide their governor? We already decided by elections. He’s been voted in. Can he return so we move on?”
The situation in Rivers remains tense as debate grows over democratic norms, power dynamics, and federal intervention.
Watch the full clip below.
