Thousands of supporters who had gathered at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Thursday morning to welcome Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara left dissatisfied after waiting for hours.
Many supporters, who arrived as early as 6 a.m. from all over the state, including rural areas, began leaving the Government House door between 12 noon and 1 p.m.
Some of their leaders, including the immediate past local government chairmen loyal to Fubara, were observed making frantic phone calls while the governor’s whereabouts remained unclear as of 1 p.m.
Among the ousted LG chairmen who led their supporters to the Government House in expectation of the governor’s homecoming were former Obio/Akpor chairman Chijoke Ihunwo and his Port Harcourt City counterpart, Ezebunwo Itche-Mati, among others.
Meanwhile, no supporters of Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, including recently elected LG chairmen, were visible at Government House.
Some of those observed exiting the Government House entrance expressed dissatisfaction with the governor’s absence after waiting for several hours.
“We are going because we are hungry. Maybe when the governor comes, we will return,” one of them said.
Rivers: Ibas bows out, hands over to Fubara
Wike commends Tinubu for reinstating Fubara, ending emergency rule in Rivers
The development coincided with the expiration of the state’s six-month emergency rule imposed following tensions between the governor and the Assembly, which is mostly dominated by supporters of Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike.
President Bola Tinubu lifted the State of Emergency in Rivers State in March, following months of political upheaval that paralyzed governance and jeopardized security in the oil-rich state.
The president selected Ibas as administrator after dissolving political entities to restore order.
However, Tinubu formally proclaimed the end of the State of Emergency in Rivers State on Wednesday, paving the door for the state’s return to full democratic administration.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
