Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, was conspicuously absent on Saturday from a civic reception organised by the Rainbow Coalition in honour of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state.
The governor, who recently declared his support for the Rainbow Coalition, was not visibly present at the event despite his recent reconciliation with his predecessor, Wike, following months of political differences between the two.
Fubara was also absent from the burial ceremony of the mother of former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, held in Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area, on the same day.
No representative of the Rivers State Government was also seen at the burial, which attracted several prominent political figures and associates of Amaechi.
Among those who attended the burial were the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar; presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi; National Chairman of the ADC, David Mark; former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami; Titi Abubakar; Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs; and former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, among others.
The simultaneous events drew political attention, with supporters and associates of both Wike and Amaechi attending their respective engagements.
As of the time of filing this report, there had been no official explanation for Governor Fubara’s absence from either event or why the state government did not send representatives to the burial of Amaechi’s mother.
