Former President Goodluck Jonathan is reportedly leading a coalition of prominent ex-presidents in quietly lobbying President Bola Tinubu to rescind the six-month suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State on or before June 12, Nigeria’s Democracy Day.
According to sources, Jonathan has initiated at least one direct phone call with President Tinubu, emphasizing the symbolic importance of restoring a democratically elected government by Democracy Day, especially as the president prepares for his nationwide June 12 broadcast.
Tinubu suspended Fubara on March 18 via a federal state-of-emergency declaration backed by the National Assembly, a move many constitutional experts have criticized as excessive and lacking legal basis under Sections 188 and 305 of the Constitution.
The suspension also ousted the deputy governor and Rivers State House of Assembly, seen as Wike-aligned, marking a clash in the ongoing political tussle between Fubara and Minister Nyesom Wike over control of the PDP’s Rivers State machinery.
Speculation had mounted that the suspension might be lifted on May 29, the second anniversary of Tinubu’s presidency, but this did not occur. Attention has now shifted to June 12, when public expectations for Fubara’s return are heightening.
Sources say Jonathan is not acting alone, two other unnamed former presidents are also reportedly applying behind-the-scenes pressure . Fubara has reportedly visited Tinubu in London in April and Lagos in June to plead his case, following guidance from these elder statesmen.
Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.) continues to govern Rivers State as a sole administrator since March 18, an outcome of the president’s emergency declaration, With Democracy Day just days away, all eyes are on whether Tinubu will yield to calls for the restoration of Governor Fubara before the widely anticipated broadcast.
