Our Reporter, Abuja
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday announced the end of the six-month state of emergency in Rivers State, declaring that Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the state House of Assembly would resume office on Thursday, September 18.
Tinubu had on March 18, 2025, declared emergency rule in the oil-rich state, ostensibly for a “total paralysis of governance” triggered by a bitter rift between the governor and 27 members of the state House of Assembly led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule. The impasse, he noted, prevented the passage of critical bills, including the Appropriation Bill, while political tensions degenerated into violence, vandalism of oil pipelines, and what the Supreme Court later described as the absence of a functioning government in Rivers.
“The six months expire today, September 17, 2025,” Tinubu said in a state broadcast.
“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.”
During the emergency period, the offices of the governor, deputy governor, and all elected lawmakers in the state were suspended. The National Assembly had swiftly approved the measure, while over 40 legal challenges were filed in Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Yenagoa to contest its validity.
Tinubu thanked Rivers residents and traditional rulers for their support, stressing that the intervention was necessary to avert “anarchy” and restore peace.
“As a stakeholder in democratic governance, I believe that the need for a harmonious existence and relationship between the executive and the legislature is key to a successful government,” the President said.
“The people who voted us into power expect to reap the fruits of democracy. However, that expectation will remain unrealizable in an atmosphere of violence, anarchy, and insecurity.”
The President further urged political leaders across Nigeria to learn from the Rivers crisis and prioritize peace and good governance.
The lifting of emergency rule comes on the heels of local government elections in Rivers during which Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC) secured majority control of the councils. Analysts say the APC’s electoral gains at the grassroots level may significantly shift the political balance in the state, strengthening the party’s position ahead of the 2027 elections.
