Hundreds of women in Rivers State on Thursday walked out of an empowerment event in Port Harcourt, insisting they would only be addressed by either the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, or the wife of the state governor, Lady Valerie Sim-Fubara.
The programme, hosted in Port Harcourt, was part of the Renewed Hope Initiative’s empowerment scheme organized through the Office of the First Lady of Nigeria.
It was designed to support 500 women across the state with various empowerment packages.
The women, many clad in traditional double wrappers, had gathered with the expectation that the First Lady would attend in person.
Tensions flared when the wife of the sole administrator, Dr. Theresa Ibas, was called upon to speak on behalf of Tinubu.
The women immediately began chanting, “We want SIM!” and “We want Valerie Fubara!” referring to Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his wife, whom they recognized as the rightful first lady of the state.
They further stated, “We don’t know Ibas. Tinubu is our President, and our governor is Fubara.”
One of the women told reporters, “We were told the First Lady of Nigeria would be here. If not her, then the wife of our governor, Lady Valerie Sim-Fubara, should speak to us.
“Not someone representing someone who does not represent us.”
Another participant, Favour Ekpeye, clarified that their action was not directed against the president’s wife but rather against the substitution.
She said, “The propaganda that we rejected the wife of the president is not true.
“We were told to come and welcome Her Excellency, Senator Remi Tinubu, and we dressed up. See me with my double wrapper.
“We were so happy to welcome Her Excellency because we appreciate her good deeds to us with the empowerment programme.
“So we stood up and left because Rivers women, we are not fragile. We have a governor that we love and we support him.”
She added, “We have a president that we support and we have our mummy of the nation that we support for empowering women.”
Attempts by organisers to calm the situation did not succeed, as the women continued chanting and gradually made their way out of the venue.
What you should know
The incident reflects the strong loyalty many Rivers women hold toward Governor Fubara and his wife. While the empowerment programme was appreciated, the crowd’s response was a clear call for acknowledgment of their state leadership, not just federal representation.
ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM VERILY NEWS
