Port Harcourt Protesters Tell Fubara to Work for Rivers People or Resign

Protesters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, have called on Governor Siminalayi Fubara to focus on governance or resign, as June 12 demonstrations spread beyond Lagos and Abuja.

Premium Times reported that the protesters staged their demonstration near the Rivers State Government House on Friday. The group identified itself with the Take-It-Back Movement and said the action formed part of a nationwide Democracy Day protest against insecurity and economic hardship.

According to the report, one protester directly addressed the Rivers governor, saying residents who opposed oppression in the state were disappointed and expected more from him. The protesters linked their anger to the state’s political crisis, economic hardship and concerns about governance.

Daily Post reported a related Port Harcourt protest in which predominantly young demonstrators chanted that President Bola Tinubu “must go” and urged eligible voters to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Port Harcourt protest adds a Rivers dimension to the June 12 demonstrations already seen in other parts of the country. In Lagos and Abuja, activists and civil society figures used the Democracy Day anniversary to draw attention to hardship, insecurity and dissatisfaction with the current administration.

For Rivers State, the protest also reflects lingering frustration over the state’s political uncertainty and the expectations placed on Fubara by residents who supported him during the crisis. The governor has repeatedly remained at the centre of a fierce political struggle involving state and federal-level actors.

Sources: Premium Times, Daily Post