Women protesting against the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State and the appointment of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas have denied claims of receiving financial incentives from the governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara.
The women, who have held a series of peaceful demonstrations and prayer rallies in Port Harcourt, insisted that their actions were entirely voluntary and aimed at raising public awareness about the political crisis in the state.
Speaking on behalf of the group, one of the coordinators, Christiana Tamunoberetowari, told newsmen that Fubara was not behind their activities.
She said, “Never! The governor has not given us a dime. I’m a two-time Vice Chairman. I coordinate my local government. The governor has not given us anything.
“Those women you see came out voluntarily. Market women leave their stalls and join the protest. The governor doesn’t even know one thing that we are doing. He is not our sponsor. We have local government coordinators that handle coordination in their areas.”
She asserted that their actions were motivated purely by concern for the state, not personal gain.
“It’s a pro bono service to the state. You don’t need to bribe a mother to breastfeed her own child. So nobody needs to give us money to do anything for our state. The governor has not given us anything at all,” she added.
Another coordinator, identified simply as Ebony, echoed Tamunoberetowari’s comments.
She expressed optimism about ongoing efforts to resolve the political standoff and voiced hope for the Governor’s return.
“It is a thing of grace that now we are on the negotiation table, and we are hopeful that our governor will return soon. There is a grace factor. There is a God factor. All of these women have been praying for the governor since he was sworn in—even before this crisis began. And we will keep praying, just as we have always done,” she said.