Elder statesman and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Chief Bode George, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reinstate suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, as a symbolic gesture in honour of Nigeria’s Democracy Day celebrations on June 12.
In an open letter to the president, Bode George referenced Tinubu’s recent public forgiveness of Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, urging him to show the same magnanimity toward Governor Fubara.
“If Tinubu could forgive Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, then he should extend the same gesture to Fubara,” George said, as quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Highlighting the historical significance of June 12—the day set aside to honour MKO Abiola, presumed winner of the annulled 1993 presidential election—George appealed to Tinubu’s sense of history and sacrifice in the pro-democracy struggle.
“On June 12, we will be celebrating Democracy Day. This is a reminder of the true meaning of democracy the will of the people,” he stated.
“He (Tinubu) later joined NADECO to fight for democracy. Some of those who fought alongside him have died. It is not of his making that he is alive today. So, he should thank God, honour the memory of those who fought for democracy and return Fubara to office immediately.”
The PDP elder further invoked the legacy of his maternal grand uncle, Herbert Macaulay, founder of Nigeria’s first political party in 1922, appealing for Fubara’s reinstatement as a tribute to Nigeria’s long and often turbulent democratic journey.
“Tinubu should listen to and honour this appeal in memory of all those who died in the journey to our democracy,” George urged.
Fubara’s suspension has stirred political tensions in Rivers State and across Nigeria, raising questions about the balance of power, party loyalty, and constitutional order.
President Tinubu’s response to this public appeal is widely anticipated ahead of this year’s June 12 Democracy Day, a national holiday meant to reflect on democratic values, justice, and political inclusion.
