Fubara returns to Nigeria amid political crisis

Suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has returned to Nigeria after spending two weeks abroad on vacation, amid heightened political unrest in the state.

Fubara touched down at the Port Harcourt International Airport in Omagwa around 7 PM on Friday. A viral video shows the governor being received quietly by a handful of aides before being ushered into a waiting SUV that quickly departed the scene.

While earlier reports indicated that Fubara had traveled to Germany, sources close to the matter revealed that he also held a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu in London during his time away.

His return comes at a critical moment in Rivers State, following his suspension by President Tinubu, alongside his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly. The suspension came after Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the oil-rich state, citing escalating attacks on oil pipelines and rising insecurity.

The crisis has been widely linked to a fierce political rivalry between Governor Fubara and 27 lawmakers loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former governor of the state, Nyesom Wike.

As Fubara settles back in the state, all eyes are now on what the next chapter holds in the unfolding political drama gripping Rivers.