Scene of Rebellion: Women Reject Sole Administrator’s Wife at Empowerment Event
By: IDNN South-South Affairs Unit
Tension boiled over in Port Harcourt on Friday as hundreds of women stormed out of the Renewed Hope Empowerment Programme when Lady Ibok-Ete Ibas, wife of the state’s federally appointed sole administrator, took the stage instead of Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu.
Dressed in branded T-shirts and wrappers bearing Remi Tinubu’s name, the women were expecting a visit from the President’s wife herself.
When they realized she wouldn’t be appearing—and Lady Ibas was the substitute speaker—things fell apart.
“We came to welcome Remi Tinubu, not an illegal First Lady!”
— Salome Chinda, protester
“We Want Sim! We Want Remi!” — The Crowd Erupts
Chants broke out:
“We want Sim! Give us Sim! We want Remi Tinubu!”
Protesters insisted that Lady Ibas held no legitimate office, describing her husband—Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), the sole administrator appointed by President Tinubu—as “an illegal occupant” of Government House.
Security operatives and event organizers were overwhelmed as women, some elderly, staged a mass exit from the EUI Event Centre, bringing the program to an abrupt halt.
Constitutional Crisis in Port Harcourt
The walkout is the latest flashpoint in a worsening crisis triggered by the March 18, 2025, State of Emergency declared by President Tinubu in Rivers State, following months of political turmoil.
Since the appointment of Ibas as sole administrator, several groups—including lawyers, civic organizations, and opposition parties—have condemned the move as unconstitutional.
Friday’s protest puts a human face to the backlash, with women saying they felt “insulted” by the substitution.
“She’s not our First Lady. Her husband’s appointment is illegitimate.”
— Ekpeye Favour, protester
The Bigger Message: Political Ownership and Respect
For many, the walkout was more than a protest against protocol—it was a declaration that Rivers people won’t be sidelined in their own state.
“We appreciate the First Lady’s empowerment program. But don’t insult us by replacing her with someone we didn’t elect.”
— IDNN Field Interview