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Claim: A Facebook page, Agozi Comedy, claimed that President Bola Tinubu had directed the suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, to resume office and take over from the sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.).
Verdict: False. DUBAWA’s findings reveal that President Bola Tinubu has not made such an announcement.
Full Text
On March 18, 2025, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, citing a breakdown of public order, threats to national oil assets, and ongoing political instability. This unprecedented move was announced nationwide and invoked Section 305 of the Nigerian Constitution.
The president cited militant pipeline vandalism and the state government’s failure to address security threats as the primary reasons for the emergency declaration. According to President Tinubu, the extraordinary measures were necessary to restore peace, order, and good governance in Rivers State.
Following this, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly were suspended for six months. Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.) was appointed as the state’s sole administrator to oversee governance during the emergency.
However, on May 11, 2025, Agozi Comedy posted a claim on Facebook alleging that President Tinubu had announced that Governor Fubara should resume duties, replacing the sole administrator appointed by Nyesom Wike.
As of May 15, 2025, the post, which includes a ten-second video, had garnered 15,000 views, 24 comments, and 129 likes.
Rivers State is currently under an emergency, marked by heightened tensions and political uncertainty. In such a fragile environment, claims like this can mislead the public, fuel confusion, and potentially incite unrest. These factors made DUBAWA fact-check the claim.
Verification
Agozi Comedy claimed that the sole administrator of Rivers State was appointed by the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike. The post reads, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced that Governor Sim Fubara should resume duties and take over from the sole administrator appointed by Nyesom Wike.” However, DUBAWA’s findings reveal this to be false. The sole administrator was appointed by President Bola Tinubu, not Nyesom Wike.
DUBAWA reviewed the video attached to the post and discovered that the ten-second clip was cut out from President Tinubu’s earlier announcement of the state of emergency. The clip captured only this part of the speech:
“…hereby suspended for an initial period of six months. In the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete…”
This excerpt was taken out of context and does not support the claim that the president asked Governor Fubara to resume duties.
DUBAWA also searched for any official communication from the Presidency announcing Governor Fubara’s reinstatement but found none.
To verify the claim further, DUBAWA contacted Jerry Omotsegunwa, the suspended Rivers State Governor’s Special Assistant on Electronic Media.
In a telephone interview, Mr Omotsegunw said, “We have not heard anything about that. I know it is not supposed to be a secret thing. The announcement was not done in secret, and the order to resume work will also not be done in secret, so I don’t see any truth there.”
On the same day (May 11, 2025), Agozi Comedy claimed that Governor Siminalayi Fubara appeared in a trending video in which he stated that his “spirit” had already left Rivers State and that he had no intention of going back.
“Can’t you see how better I look? Do you think I’m interested in it? Do you even know if I want to go back there? My spirit has already left that place long ago,” he said.
Conclusion
The claim is false. There is no evidence that President Bola Tinubu has announced the reinstatement of Governor Siminalayi Fubara. The video attached to the claim was taken out of context and used to support a narrative that contradicts the current political reality and official records.
