Hundreds of women marched through Port Harcourt on Monday in a powerful show of support for the state of emergency declared in Rivers State. Wearing white and holding placards with bold messages like “Prosecute the Bombers of Rivers Assembly” and “State of Emergency is Constitutional,” the women rallied behind the Federal Government’s decision and expressed confidence in the leadership of Ibok-Ete Ibas, who was appointed sole administrator.
Their voices echoed through the streets as they sang solidarity songs and chanted in favor of President Bola Tinubu’s swift response to the ongoing political unrest in the state. The march made its way through major roads in the state capital, drawing attention from residents and passersby.
This public demonstration came just days after another group of women protested on April 11, calling for the restoration of democratic governance and urging former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Muhammadu Buhari, and Goodluck Jonathan to intervene.
The contrasting views among women’s groups reflect the deepening divide over the Federal Government’s intervention. The emergency was declared by President Tinubu on March 18 following an unresolved political crisis in the oil-rich state. The suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and the entire Rivers State House of Assembly was part of the emergency measures, initially set to last six months.
Ibas, a retired naval officer, was assigned to oversee the state’s administration during this period, with the aim of stabilizing governance and restoring order. As the six-month window counts down, tensions continue to rise while support and opposition movements gain momentum.
