By Olatunbosun Obafemi
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday announced the end of the state of emergency imposed on Rivers State, declaring that the six-month suspension of democratic institutions in the state had achieved its purpose of restoring order and paving the way for a return to normal governance.
The emergency was first declared on March 18, 2025, following a bitter political standoff between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the state House of Assembly. The crisis had paralysed governance, with 27 lawmakers opposing the governor while only four aligned with him. The deadlock prevented the presentation of an appropriation bill, stalled access to funds, and ultimately prompted the Supreme Court to describe Rivers as effectively without a government.
Tinubu said repeated interventions by himself and other stakeholders failed to resolve the impasse, making the emergency proclamation under Section 305 of the Constitution inevitable. The measure suspended the offices of the governor, deputy governor, and the entire Assembly for six months, while federal authorities oversaw the state’s affairs.
“With governance at a standstill and public order collapsing, it would have been a colossal failure on my part not to act,” Tinubu said in his address. He added that traditional rulers and the people of Rivers State had supported the move, even as critics filed more than 40 legal challenges in courts across Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Yenagoa.
The president praised the National Assembly for swiftly approving the proclamation and expressed satisfaction that conditions had now improved. According to intelligence reports available to him, Tinubu said there was “a new spirit of understanding” and “potent enthusiasm” among all stakeholders to resume democratic governance.
“I therefore do not see why the state of emergency should exist a day longer than the six months I had pronounced,” Tinubu declared. Effective midnight September 17, the emergency rule is lifted, and Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Nma Odu, Speaker Martins Amaewhule, and all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly are to resume their offices on Thursday.
Tinubu used the occasion to caution leaders nationwide against allowing political rivalries to degenerate into crises. “It is only in an atmosphere of peace, order, and good government that we can deliver the dividends of democracy to our people,” he said.
