As Friday’s walkout by some women groups on the wife of the Rivers State Sole Administrator, Theresa Ibas, at an event in Port Harcourt continued to elicit reactions from various quarters, the women at the centre of the drama have explained that they were deceived to attend the programme.
In a four-paragraph press release titled “RIVERS WOMEN WERE DECEIVED, SHUN MRS. IBAS” and signed by Comrade Glory N. Sunday, media coordinator for Rivers Women Unite For Sim (RWUS), the angry women stated that they had massively mobilised to receive the wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hajiya Fatimah Abbas Tajudeen who was to represent Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, according to the information they got, only for the sole administrator to bring his wife.
Comrade Sunday said the women were further insulted when Mrs. Ibas addressed them as “my women”.
They however assured Senator Tinubu of their support for her Renewed Hope Initiative.
The terse statement, which gave an insight into what happened, read: “Rivers Women have said they were deceived into attending an event to receive Hajiya Fatima Abbas Tajudeen, wife of the Speaker of House of Representatives, who was to represent the wife of the President and First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. They arrived at the event only to see the wife of Rivers Sole Administrator, Mrs. Theresa Ibas.
“The women, who rejected Mrs. Ibas, noted that they had happily mobilised in their numbers to attend the occasion expecting to receive and welcome the wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hajiya Fatima Abbas and not Mrs. Theresa Ibas.
“The women said Iba’s wife further insulted Rivers women by calling them, “my women”, as they did not vote for her husband as governor of Rivers State.
“They expressed gratitude to the First Lady HE Senator Remi Tinubu assuring her of the unflinching support of Rivers women to the Renewed Hope Initiative”.