President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday announced the cessation of the state of emergency in Rivers State, bringing to an end a six-month period of federal intervention in the state’s governance, SAVANNAH NEWSNOW REPORTS.
The President, in a national broadcast from the State House, said the emergency rule, which was proclaimed on March 18, 2025, was necessary to arrest what he described as a “total paralysis of governance” in the state.
Tinubu explained that prior to the declaration, Rivers had been engulfed in political turmoil, with Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the State House of Assembly locked in a bitter standoff. The crisis, according to him, left governance at a standstill as the governor could not present an Appropriation Bill, while critical state assets, including oil pipelines, suffered vandalism amid escalating insecurity.
“The Supreme Court itself held in one of its judgments that there was no government in Rivers State,” Tinubu recalled, adding that several attempts by his administration and other stakeholders to mediate between both factions failed.
The proclamation, which suspended the governor, deputy governor, and all members of the House of Assembly, was approved by the National Assembly. Tinubu expressed gratitude to lawmakers, traditional rulers, and the people of Rivers State for their cooperation during the period, even as he acknowledged dissenting voices who challenged the declaration in court.
He emphasized that the measure was a constitutional safeguard against anarchy.
“It would have been a colossal failure on my part as President not to have made that proclamation,” he said.
With the expiration of the six-month emergency rule, Tinubu declared that democratic governance would resume in Rivers effective September 18, 2025. Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Nma Odu, Speaker Martins Amaewhule, and other lawmakers are expected to return to their offices immediately.
The President urged state governors and lawmakers across the federation to draw lessons from the Rivers crisis, warning that political brinkmanship and power tussles must not be allowed to jeopardize governance.
“As stakeholders in democracy, we must never forget that only in an atmosphere of peace, order, and good governance can we deliver the dividends of democracy to our people,” Tinubu said.
He concluded by reaffirming his commitment to national stability, saying: “Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
