Fubara’s trapped in government house, amid state of emergency

RIVERS, Nigeria - Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his family are currently being held hostage at the Government House in Port-Harcourt by a group of heavily armed soldiers. 

This situation developed shortly after President Bola Tinubu invoked Section 180 of the Nigerian Constitution to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State.

The president's contentious decision stems from a long-standing and intensifying political conflict led by state legislators allied with Nyesom Wike, who initiated impeachment proceedings against  Fubara last week as part of a personal vendetta after a fallout with Wike, who played a key role in securing  Fubara’s election in 2023 despite corruption allegations.

Report gathered by Rocketparrot News  state that soldiers, acting on the president's orders related to the state of emergency, blocked all entry and exit points to the Government House immediately following the president's announcement.

Attempts by Fubara and his family to gather their belongings and leave the Government House have been thwarted by the soldiers, who have prohibited any movement around the property.

"We are being held hostage," an official present at the scene told The Gazette on Tuesday night. "They claimed they were not instructed to allow anyone to exit the premises."

It remains unclear if the soldiers are executing their duties as directed or are overly aggressive in adhering to their orders.

 Spokespersons for the Nigerian Army and Defense Headquarters did not immediately respond to requests for comments about the treatment of the Fubaras.

Tinubu’s decision to suspend the conflicting parties from their positions for six months, starting Tuesday, ignited heated discussions across social media, with many questioning the president's constitutional authority to suspend an elected governor before the state legislators have formally impeached him.

Impeachment efforts against Fubara commenced on Monday, just a day prior to the president's imposition of the emergency rule.

Legal professionals like Inibehe Effiong and Folarin ‘Falz’ Falana have condemned the president for acting outside of the law and disregarding the Constitution’s stipulations. In the meantime, the president has appointed the retired chief of naval staff, Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, as the interim military administrator of Rivers.