Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his family have been prevented from leaving the Government House in Port Harcourt by heavily armed soldiers on Tuesday night, according to reports.
This happened shortly after President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State under Section 180 of the Nigerian Constitution.
The president made this decision due to an ongoing political crisis involving state lawmakers loyal to former governor Nyesom Wike.
These lawmakers had begun impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara last week following his fallout with Wike, who played a key role in his 2023 election despite facing corruption allegations.
Sources from the Rivers State government said that soldiers enforcing the president’s orders immediately sealed off all entrances and exits to the Government House after the announcement.
Attempts by Governor Fubara and his family to leave with their belongings were blocked by the soldiers, who restricted all movement around the premises.
“We are being held hostage,” an official inside the Government House told The Gazette on Tuesday night. “They said they don’t have instructions to let anyone leave.”
It is unclear whether the soldiers are strictly following orders or acting on their own. The Nigerian Army and Defence Headquarters have not responded to requests for comments.
The president’s decision to suspend all involved parties for six months, effective Tuesday, has sparked intense debate on social media. Many are questioning whether he has the constitutional power to suspend an elected governor who has not yet been impeached.
Legal experts like Inibehe Effiong and Folarin ‘Falz’ Falana have criticized the president, arguing that his actions go against the Constitution.
Meanwhile, President Tinubu has appointed retired Chief of Naval Staff, Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, as the interim military administrator of Rivers State.
