This latest demonstration, following a similar protest on Monday, saw women from all 23 local government areas march with placards condemning what they called the “illegal” imposition of a Sole Administrator and the silencing of dissenting voices. They also called for the removal of Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, over alleged police brutality and bias.
Port Harcourt, April 17, 2025 — Tensions escalated in Rivers State on Wednesday as hundreds of women under the banner of the Rivers Women Unite Prayer Group staged fresh protests in Port Harcourt, denouncing the emergency rule declared by President Bola Tinubu and the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Simultaneously, the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Rivers State Oversight summoned the appointed Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd), to appear in Abuja on Thursday, April 17, for an interactive session. The National Assembly had earlier invoked Section 11 of the Constitution to assume legislative duties in the state, citing the breakdown of governance.
House Leader Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, chairing the 21-member committee, emphasized the importance of an impartial review of the state’s condition. The committee’s session aims to ensure transparency and proper legislative oversight.
Reacting to the invitation, Admiral Ibas’s media aide, Hector Igbikiowubo, confirmed the Sole Administrator’s willingness to appear before the committee and disclosed that preparations for a 2025 state budget are underway, despite the administration being only three weeks old.
During the protest, group leaders Dr. Nancy Chidi Nwankwo and Dr. Vivian Ige-Elenwo condemned alleged police repression of peaceful demonstrators and accused Ibas of sponsoring a counter-protest to feign public support.
The women warned of the economic consequences of the crisis, stating that businesses are closing and investments are leaving the state, with women and children most affected. They called on the National Assembly, civil society, and Nigerians at large to demand an end to the emergency rule and the restoration of democratic governance in Rivers State.
