Hundreds of women in Rivers State staged a dramatic walkout during an empowerment programme organised by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, at the EUI Event Centre in Port Harcourt on Friday, 2 May, 2025.
The event, part of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) in partnership with the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, aimed to distribute business equipment to 500 underprivileged women.
However, tensions flared when Dr. Theresa Ibas, wife of Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, was introduced to speak on Tinubu’s behalf, prompting chants of “We want Sim!” and “We want Valerie Fubara!”.
The women, expecting either Tinubu or Lady Valerie Fubara, wife of suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, expressed outrage over Ibas’s presence, viewing it as a symbol of federal interference following President Bola Tinubu’s March 2025 declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers, which suspended Fubara and the state assembly.
Protesters chanted, “Bring back Fubara, we don’t know Ibas,” with some clarifying they were not rejecting Tinubu but opposing Ibas’s representation.
The walkout, captured in viral videos, saw women in traditional attire storming out, while the event continued indoors with Mrs. Ibas delivering her speech and distributing freezers, gas cookers, grinding machines, and generators.
The incident reflects deepening political tensions in Rivers, fueled by Fubara’s suspension and the appointment of Ibas as sole administrator, widely linked to influence from FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. Wike condemned the protest as “embarrassing” and apologised to Tinubu, calling it a sponsored act by Fubara’s loyalists.
Political observers note the women’s actions signal strong grassroots support for Fubara, rejecting what they call “imposed leadership”.
The RHI, targeting 18,500 women nationwide, aligns with SDG goals for gender equality and economic growth. Despite the disruption, beneficiaries received equipment, but the protest underscores Rivers’ volatile political climate. Neither Tinubu’s office nor Fubara’s camp has issued an official response.
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