President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday announced the end of the six-month state of emergency imposed on Rivers State, restoring Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Nma Odu, and the members of the State House of Assembly to their offices.
Tinubu, in a nationwide broadcast, declared that the emergency would lapse at midnight, paving the way for the full return of democratic governance in the state starting September 18, 2025.
The President explained that the proclamation, made on March 18, 2025, was necessitated by a “total paralysis of governance” in Rivers, where deep divisions between the governor and the majority of the House of Assembly had brought government activities to a halt.
“At that time, even the Supreme Court, in one of its rulings, held that there was no government in Rivers State,” Tinubu said. “My intervention and that of other well-meaning Nigerians proved abortive as both sides stuck rigidly to their positions to the detriment of peace and development.”
He said the suspension of the governor, deputy governor, and lawmakers was “painfully inevitable” to avert anarchy and safeguard vital state and national assets, especially oil pipelines that were being vandalized amid the crisis.
The President commended the National Assembly for swiftly approving the proclamation and thanked Rivers’ traditional rulers and residents for their support during the emergency rule.
While acknowledging dissent and multiple court challenges filed against the decision, Tinubu maintained that the action was constitutional and necessary to preserve peace and order.
He expressed satisfaction with what he described as a “groundswell of a new spirit of understanding and enthusiasm” among stakeholders in Rivers State to restore democratic harmony, saying the conditions that necessitated the emergency had abated.
“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,” Tinubu declared.
The President urged political leaders across Nigeria to draw lessons from the Rivers crisis and prioritize collaboration between the executive and legislative arms for the effective delivery of democratic dividends.
“It is only in an atmosphere of peace, order, and good governance that we can deliver to our people,” he said.
