A large group of women in Rivers State walked out on Thursday during a women's empowerment event at the EUI Centre in Port Harcourt.
This happened after Theresa, the wife of the Sole Administrator of the state, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (Retd.), began her address.
Visibly upset, the women demanded that only Valerie, the wife of the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, be allowed to speak to them.
The incident occurred during an event organised under the Renewed Hope Initiative. Videos shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Port Harcourt Socials showed the women standing up together and leaving the venue while chanting "We want Sim." This clearly showed their dissatisfaction with Theresa's presence at the event.
River women staged a walk out on the First Lady of Nig at the ongoing women Empowerment program in EUI center PH. Chanting WE WANT SIM" pic.twitter.com/H3mxJvdQ8w
— Port Harcourt Socials (@PH_Socials) May 2, 2025
"This protest is a result of President Bola Tinubu's decision in March to suspend Governor Fubara and announce a state of emergency in Rivers State. This followed a political dispute between the governor and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
As part of the state of emergency, Tinubu named Ibas, a political supporter of Wike, as the temporary leader of the state. Fubara's supporters, especially women's groups, have strongly objected to Ibas's appointment, viewing it as an unwelcome intervention by the federal government."
Chanting, “We want SIM,” the women made their demands loud and clear.
The women rejected Ibas’s wife, saying the wife of a stranger can't address them.
“Who is that impostor? Ibas’s wife is addressing Rivers’ women. Who is she? Come on, pack your load, Madam, we don’t want you,” one of the protesting women said.
“We need Mrs Oluremi Tinubu to come and address us, she is the one we have been waiting for. We don’t need a stranger. We want Sim right now. Sim should come today, not tomorrow,” another protester said.