Governor Fubara Resumes Office Thursday
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced the end of the state of emergency in Rivers State, six months after it was declared due to a breakdown of governance.
The President made the announcement in a statement from the State House on Wednesday, saying the measure, which began on 18 March 2025, will lapse at midnight.
“It therefore gives me great pleasure to declare that the emergency in Rivers State of Nigeria shall end with effect from midnight today (Wednesday),” Tinubu said.
He explained that the state of emergency became necessary in March after political tensions paralysed governance.
At the time, the State’s House of Assembly was split between four lawmakers loyal to the governor and 27 aligned with the Speaker. The rift prevented the passage of the budget and worsened insecurity, including vandalism of vital oil pipelines.
Tinubu recalled that even the Supreme Court, in one of several cases between the executive and legislative arms of the state, had ruled that there was effectively “no government in Rivers State.” He said his intervention was necessary under Section 305 of the Constitution to “arrest the drift towards anarchy.”
During the emergency period, the offices of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the House of Assembly were suspended.
With the expiration of the proclamation, all will resume duties from 18 September 2025.
The President thanked the National Assembly, traditional rulers, and the people of Rivers State for their “support from the date of the declaration of the state of emergency until now.”
He acknowledged dissenting voices who challenged the decision in court, saying “That is the way it should be in a democratic setting.”
He added, “Some cases are still pending in the courts as of today. But what needs to be said is that the power to declare a state of emergency is an inbuilt constitutional tool to address situations of actual or threatened breakdown of public order and public safety, which require extraordinary measures to return the State to peace, order and security.”
President Tinubu added that intelligence reports now suggest a “groundswell of a new spirit of understanding” among Rivers’ political leaders, making it possible to restore normal governance.
“I therefore do not see why the state of emergency should exist a day longer than the six months I had pronounced at the beginning of it,” he said.
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