President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced the end of the six-month state of emergency imposed on Rivers State, declaring that democratic governance will resume fully in the state from September 18.
Tinubu made the declaration in a national address on Tuesday, noting that the intervention, proclaimed on March 18, 2025, was necessary to prevent total collapse of governance in the oil-rich state.
The president recalled that Rivers was engulfed in deep political crisis, with Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the House of Assembly locked in a stalemate that crippled governance.
According to him, “there was a total paralysis of governance in Rivers State, which had led to the Governor of Rivers State and the House of Assembly being unable to work together. Even the Supreme Court, in one of its judgments… held that there was no government in Rivers State.”
Tinubu said his intervention became “painfully inevitable” to restore order. He explained that the suspension of the governor, his deputy, and the lawmakers for six months was backed by constitutional provisions.
“It would have been a colossal failure on my part as President not to have made that proclamation,” he said.
While acknowledging dissenting voices, including those who filed over 40 cases challenging the proclamation, Tinubu insisted the decision was constitutional and necessary.
“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,” he maintained.
The president said he is encouraged by the new atmosphere of reconciliation among stakeholders in the state, stressing that the return to democratic rule is in the best interest of the people. “I am happy today that… there is a groundswell of a new spirit of understanding, a robust readiness, and potent enthusiasm on the part of all the stakeholders in Rivers State for an immediate return to democratic governance,” Tinubu declared.
With the expiration of the proclamation, the governor, his deputy, and the House of Assembly members are to resume their offices on Wednesday.
“The Governor, His Excellency Siminalayi Fubara, the deputy governor, Her Excellency Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and the speaker, Martins Amaewhule, will resume work in their offices from 18 September 2025,” Tinubu stated.
He urged governors and lawmakers across the federation to take lessons from the Rivers crisis and prioritize peace and good governance.
“It is only in an atmosphere of peace, order, and good government that we can deliver the dividends of democracy to our people,” the president said.
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