Power Shift Loading: Rivers State About to Witness a Major Political Twist

 

“The countdown to Governor Fubara’s return has begun, and the questions about who wins and who bows are louder than ever.”

Rivers politics is about to flip the script. For six months the state has been running on borrowed time, ticking to the beat of Abuja’s emergency clock. Since March, when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared an emergency, suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Prof. Ngozi Odu, and the entire 32-member House of Assembly, Rivers people have been living through a political intermission nobody planned for. Retired Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas was handed the keys as sole administrator, and suddenly a state that voted its leaders out of the ballot box was being run like a military base — quiet, firm, and fully monitored.

The official line was that security and oil infrastructure were at risk. A fire on the Trans Niger pipeline, violent attacks around critical installations, and deep cracks inside the state assembly gave Abuja the excuse it needed. But to the ordinary man on the street, it felt like a takeover. One minute you had an elected governor fighting impeachment moves, the next minute you had a retired naval officer calling the shots, signing cheques, and paying salaries.

Ibok-Ete Ibas was no stranger to discipline. The man is Navy-bred, and Abuja trusted him with a delicate assignment: steady the ship, pay the workers, keep the oil pipes safe, and prepare Rivers for a return to democracy when the clock ran out. His mandate was clear but narrow — keep things functioning, avoid chaos, and hand back power when ordered. And to his credit, he played his part with minimal drama. He presided over local government elections, attended thanksgiving services, spoke softly in public, and quietly compiled his handover notes. Every time he faced the press, he repeated that Abuja’s mandate had been “sufficiently achieved” and that the ground was being prepared for an orderly return.

But Rivers State has never been a place where politics sleeps. While Ibas was keeping things running on paper, the real game was being played in the shadows. Old camps were calculating, alliances were shifting, and whispers travelled from Port Harcourt lounges to Abuja corridors. Everyone knew September 18 — the official end of the six-month emergency — would not just be a date. It would be a reset button, but not necessarily one that puts everyone back where they were in March.

For Governor Fubara, this moment is both sweet and heavy. He was suspended at the peak of his standoff with political rivals, and for half a year he’s been forced to watch from the sidelines. Now, the stage is being prepared for his comeback. Supporters see it as vindication — the return of their elected governor. But critics are waiting with receipts, pointing to how federal oversight shifted budget priorities, reworked project pipelines, and clipped some wings. The uneasy dance between Fubara and former governor turned FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, hasn’t gone away. It has only been simmering, waiting for a fresh spark. And the question burning through the streets is simple: will Fubara return with full grip, or will he be boxed in by new realities Abuja has quietly planted during his absence?

September 18 is the curtain call. The sole administrator bows out, and the suspended leaders walk back in. But don’t mistake this for a clean reset. Six months of federal control leaves fingerprints that won’t fade overnight. Who controls the purse strings? Who decides which projects continue and which ones stop? Who gets rewarded for loyalty, and who gets punished for stepping out of line? These are the undercurrents Rivers people should watch more than the staged smiles on transition day.

Even now, conversations in bars, markets, and WhatsApp groups are louder than the press statements. Some residents admit salaries were paid regularly under Ibas, but others complain that development projects slowed down. Traders in Port Harcourt say they are waiting to see if business taxes return to old levels or if Abuja’s grip leaves behind a tighter system. Community leaders wonder if local government structures will truly be free, or if invisible hands will keep pulling the strings. Everyone is waiting for the 18th, but nobody is sure what “return” will really mean.

And that’s why this story matters beyond the headline. It’s not just about Fubara walking back into Government House. It’s about whether Rivers can find peace after months of political turbulence. It’s about whether the fragile truce between power blocs will hold or break. It’s about whether Abuja’s emergency rule was truly about protecting pipelines or quietly about reshaping loyalties in the oil-rich state.

For the presidency, a smooth handover projects strength and stability. For Fubara, it is a second chance to prove he can hold his own without being boxed out by Abuja or shadowed too tightly by Wike. For Rivers people, it’s about service — schools, roads, jobs, and the daily grind. Because after all the big grammar of politics, what matters most is whether life gets better or worse after September 18.

BigChiefVibes will be tracking every twist. Will the governor’s camp roar back with full force? Will Abuja’s invisible fingers remain on the state’s budget? Will the old Wike-Fubara drama ignite again? Or will Rivers surprise everyone with a season of calm? These are the gist lines that matter. And we want you — the readers, the people on the ground — to drop your eyewitness takes. Are markets calmer now? Did salaries come on time? Did your local government chairmen actually work during the emergency? Talk to us in the comments, or better still, send your updates straight to the BigChiefVibes WhatsApp channel so your voice can be amplified where it matters. (Join here: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb63f3sJpe8jdW45yA1U)

The spotlight is on Rivers, and the countdown is real. September 18 is not just a date; it’s the beginning of Act Two. And in politics, Act Two is where the real battles are fought.

Ekpu Code: “Power returns to those who never stopped watching. Stay loud, stay ready.”