The women, visibly upset, demanded that only Valerie, the wife of the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, be allowed to speak to them.
Alarge group of women in Rivers State staged a walkout on Thursday during a women empowerment event at the EUI Centre in Port Harcourt, after Theresa, wife of the Sole Administrator of the state, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (Retd.), began her address.
The women, visibly upset, demanded that only Valerie, the wife of the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, be allowed to speak to them.
The incident took place during an event organized under the Renewed Hope Initiative. Videos shared on X by Port Harcourt Socials showed the women standing up in unison and leaving the venue while chanting “We want Sim,” clearly expressing their dissatisfaction with Theresa’s presence at the event.
River women staged a walk out on the First Lady of Nig at the ongoing women Empowerment program in EUI center PH. Chanting WE WANT SIM” pic.twitter.com/H3mxJvdQ8w
— Port Harcourt Socials (@PH_Socials) May 2, 2025
This protest follows President Bola Tinubu’s decision in March to suspend Governor Fubara and declare a state of emergency in Rivers State, after a political crisis unfolded between the governor and his predecessor and Minister of FCT Nyesom Wike.
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As part of the state of emergency, Tinubu appointed Ibas, a political ally of Wike, as the interim leader of the state. Fubara’s supporters, particularly women’s groups, have strongly opposed Ibas’s installation, seeing it as an imposition by the federal government.
Chanting, “We want SIM,” the women made their demands loud and clear.
The women rejected Ibas’s wife, saying the wife of a stranger can’t address them.
“Who is that impostor? Ibas’s wife is addressing Rivers’ women. Who is she? Come on, pack your load, Madam, we don’t want you,” one of the protesting women said.
“We need Mrs Oluremi Tinubu to come and address us, she is the one we have been waiting for. We don’t need a stranger. We want Sim right now. Sim should come today, not tomorrow,” another protester said.