The suspended Governor of Rivers State, Sim Fubara, has said he is not desperate to return to office.
Fubara stated this at the service of songs held in honour of the late elder statesman, Edwin Clark, in Port Harcourt, the state capital, organised yesterday by Rivers Elders Forum.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had in March declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended Governor Sim Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the state House of Assembly for six months.
The president made the declaration in a nationwide broadcast, where he appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas (rtd) as the state’s administrator to oversee governance. Tinubu said the decision was taken to restore stability in the state that had been engulfed in political crisis.
However , Tinubu’s decision triggered widespread condemnation by some political leaders, legal experts and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors instituting a legal action over the issue.
The political crisis in Rivers State followed the feud between Fubara and the state House of Assembly.
Their feud led to the burning down of the state House of Assembly.
During the service of songs, several speakers at the event referred to Fubara as “governor” and strongly criticised his suspension, calling for his immediate reinstatement.
Fubara, however said, “Do you even know if I want to go back there? My spirit has already left there.”
He said such comments were not likely to promote peace, describing them as the opinions of the speakers.
Fubara further warned that some of the actions taken by some of his supporters, though well-intended, had only worsened his situation.
He urged the attendees to focus on the tribute of Edwin Clark who lived a “selfless life” advocating for the Niger Delta region and not make it about politics.
“Not everything is by oshobe,” he cautioned, hinting at his preference for a more strategic and less confrontational approach to the ongoing political crisis.
Fubara in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Nelson Chukwudi, after the event urged his supporters to “tone down their confrontational approach” to the state’s political situation and follow his strategic steps towards enduring peace by showing restraint.