Hundreds of women in Rivers State staged a walkout on Friday during an empowerment programme in Port Harcourt, insisting they be addressed either by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, or the wife of the state governor, Lady Valerie Sim-Fubara.
The event, held at the EUI Event Centre in GRA, Port Harcourt, was part of the Renewed Hope Initiative organized by the Office of the First Lady of Nigeria. It was aimed at empowering 500 women in the state with various support items.
Expecting the First Lady in person, many of the women arrived dressed in traditional attire, including double wrappers, ready to receive her. Tensions, however, escalated when Dr. Theresa Ibas—the wife of the state’s Sole Administrator—was introduced to speak on behalf of Senator Tinubu.
The crowd began chanting, “We want SIM!” and “We want Valerie Fubara!”—referring to Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his wife, whom they consider the legitimate First Lady of the state. The women voiced their disapproval, stating, “We don’t know Ibas. Tinubu is our President, and our governor is Sim Fubara.”
Speaking to journalists, one participant said, “We were told the First Lady of Nigeria would be here. If not her, then the wife of our governor should address us—not someone representing someone who doesn’t represent us.”
Another protester, Favour Ekpeye, clarified that their walkout was not against the First Lady herself but rather against what they saw as an inappropriate substitution. “The propaganda that we rejected the wife of the President is not true,” she said. “We were invited to welcome Her Excellency, Senator Remi Tinubu. That’s why we dressed up in our finest attire. We appreciate her and her support for women.”
Ekpeye added, “We have a governor we support, and a President we support. But we expect to be addressed by those who truly represent us.”
Attempts by the event organisers to calm the women failed, as the crowd continued chanting and eventually exited the venue.
