Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has said that those who ruthlessly attempted to end his administration undemocratically boasted they would achieve their purpose quickly and boot him out of office within one week but have failed woefully.

The governor stated that he has not only stayed in office for more than one year but that his administration is forging ahead strongly with sterling leadership, focused on delivering social services and quality projects to the people of Rivers State.

Governor Fubara made the assertion at the Rivers State Day of Thanksgiving, Praise, and Worship, held at the Main Bowl of Alfred Diette-Spiff Civic Centre along Moscow Road in Port Harcourt Old Township on Wednesday.

The session brought together thousands of enthusiastic residents and indigenes of Rivers State, including reputable worship leaders, clergies, and gospel singers, who joined in the commemoration service to thank God for thwarting the attempt to end Governor Fubara’s administration abruptly on October 30, 2023, by alleged undemocratic elements and enemies of the state.

He expressed gratitude to God for His divine intervention in frustrating the schemes of his detractors and acknowledged that the overwhelming support of the Rivers people made his victory over his traducers even sweeter.

The governor said, “If you were not with us, if you had not stood with us, we wouldn’t be here at this hour. A lot of you might not understand what happened on the 30th of October, 2023. It was an assassination attempt on the people of Rivers State indirectly, and on me directly.

“Since they can’t kill every one of you, they needed to kill one person so that everybody would be declared dead. But somehow, somewhere, by the special grace of God, they failed. And the God we are thanking today turned what they meant for evil into good.”

Governor Fubara mocked his detractors, who remained determined to derail governance, and insisted that despite their antics, his administration has demonstrated prudence, transparency, and accountability in managing the State’s financial resources.

He noted that such public financial diligence has earned commendations from BudgIT, a civic-tech organisation, which ranked Rivers State first in the 2024 Fiscal Performance Ranking among the 36 states in the Federation.

He said, “I can tell you, they said we wouldn’t last for one week. Here we are, having done more than one year. We are also marking the one-year anniversary of their attack.

“They said those buccaneers wouldn’t leave as local government chairmen, but today, we have the 23 local government chairmen here with us. They said our commissioners should resign so we would be crippled, but today, we have more than 23 commissioners.

“They said in a program at Rivers State University that we wouldn’t achieve anything and that they would frustrate us. But by the special grace of God, we have embarked on projects that are touching the lives of Rivers people.

“We didn’t stop there. We have shown prudence, proving that we are not here to steal your money but to be accountable. Yesterday, BudgIT confirmed this by declaring that Rivers State leads in transparency and accountability.”

The governor assured the people that the journey of governance has been rewarding, noting that the most challenging part has been overcome. He urged the people to stay strong, assuring them that unity and peace in the State remain intact.

He said, “So I ask: who is the winner? This evening, we are here to thank God and appreciate Him, saying that the way He did it a year ago, we know He will do it again, even more.

“You don’t need to bother about the stories on social media. That’s the least of your worries. By tomorrow, I will still pay my contractors.

“By tomorrow, those of you who haven’t received your salaries will get your alerts. Local Government Chairmen, your JAAC funds are on the way to your accounts.

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“Who is the loser? We are not here to celebrate failure. We are praising God because He is taking us to higher ground. That is why you should be happy. That is why we chose today to celebrate God’s goodness in our State and our lives. We can’t thank Him enough.”

Governor Fubara reaffirmed his commitment to defending the interests of the State, stressing that with the support of Rivers people, they will achieve their goals together.

He explained that he had implemented the details of the Presidential Peace Accord, including withdrawing legal suits, but the other party violated the agreement and pursued their suits to secure judgments in their favour.

He said, “We made a promise to defend and protect the interests of Rivers State genuinely, and we are not going back on that. With your support, we will stay the course.

“Because we are people of peace, if anyone took advantage of us, it was because of our genuine desire for peace.

“The preacher said something about peace. I want to tell you that when Mr. President emphasised the importance of peace in Rivers State, we fulfilled all the conditions. We withdrew our cases, but they did not. And yet, they blame Fubara.

“How is Fubara the problem? We withdrew our cases, including the ones they filed, but they took advantage of us and got judgments. Is that not fraud?”

The Governor said those dishonourable persons should not demand public attention or trust. He said that agreements should bind everyone involved.

He added, “When I realised I was being ambushed, not by the peace initiator but by people who thought they were smarter, I knew their so-called smartness was foolishness before God.

“As they pursue things to revive themselves, I assure you, we won’t do what they expect. Let’s see how they come back to life without our cooperation.”

Governor Fubara aligned with the day’s preacher, who declared that the event symbolised the peace of God enthroned in Rivers State. He expressed confidence that God would lead the people to greater peace.

He urged all Rivers people to stay strong and embrace the peace reigning in the state.

He said, “My promise to you, Rivers people, is that our administration will implement projects that will stand the test of time. Whatever we do, even when we leave, people will see our legacies and know they were done for the good, not personal gain.

“We won’t build roads because of private interests or business connections. Our goal is to leave behind lasting legacies.”

Delivering a brief exhortation, Rev. Umai Ukpai stressed the importance of peace in individual lives and the State, warning against troublemakers who disrupt the peace.

Rev. Ukpai declared that such people would face God’s wrath and demanded peace, stressing that God had arisen to protect His people.

Highlights of the event included performances by the Government House Choir, Preye Odede, Mbata, Ada Zion, Jackson Jones, Okopi, St. Jude’s Military Church Choir, Asu Ekiye, Frank Edwards, Joe Praise, and others.