By Obinna Uballa
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday announced the end of the six-month state of emergency in Rivers State, paving the way for Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly to return to office from Thursday, September 18.
The President, in a nationwide broadcast, said the measure, declared on March 18, 2025, under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, had become inevitable at the time due to what he described as a “total paralysis of governance” in the state.
Tinubu recalled that the prolonged feud between Governor Fubara and the 27 pro-Speaker lawmakers of the State Assembly had crippled governance, leaving the governor unable to present an appropriation bill and exposing critical economic assets, including oil pipelines, to vandalism.
He noted that the Supreme Court had in one of its rulings observed that there was effectively no government in Rivers, while efforts by him and other well-meaning Nigerians to mediate between the warring factions proved abortive.
“It therefore became painfully inevitable that to arrest the drift towards anarchy in Rivers State, I was obligated to proclaim the state of emergency,” Tinubu said. “The offices of the governor, deputy governor, and elected members of the State House of Assembly were suspended for six months in the first instance. The six months expire today, September 17th, 2025.”
The President expressed gratitude to the National Assembly for promptly approving the proclamation, as well as to traditional rulers and Rivers citizens for their support, while acknowledging dissenting voices that challenged the declaration in court.
He stressed that the power to impose emergency rule was a constitutional safeguard, not an act of vendetta, insisting that it prevented a complete breakdown of order in the state.
Tinubu, however, said intelligence reports now indicate a renewed spirit of cooperation among political actors in Rivers, making the continuation of the emergency unnecessary.
“With effect from midnight today, the emergency in Rivers State shall end,” he declared.
He urged the Rivers political class to embrace peace and harmony in the interest of the people and reminded leaders across Nigeria that “it is only in an atmosphere of peace, order, and good government that we can deliver the dividends of democracy.”
