BREAKING: Rivers State Governor, Assembly Return As Tinubu Ends Emergency Rule

By Micheal Chukwuebuka

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally announced the end of the state of emergency imposed on Rivers State, declaring that democratic governance will resume from midnight on Tuesday.

In a national broadcast on Wednesday, Tinubu recalled that he proclaimed the emergency on 18 March 2025, citing a constitutional deadlock between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the State House of Assembly, which paralysed governance and threatened peace and security in the oil-rich state.

According to the President, the crisis stemmed from deep divisions in the Assembly, where only four members supported the Governor while 27 backed Speaker Martins Amaewhule. This left the state unable to pass an appropriation bill, access funds, or carry out basic functions of government. The Supreme Court had also noted the absence of effective governance in Rivers, he said.

Tinubu explained that his intervention, and those of other stakeholders, failed to resolve the crisis, making it “painfully inevitable” to invoke Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution to suspend the Governor, Deputy Governor, and members of the Assembly for six months. That period, he noted, expires on 17 September 2025.

The President thanked the National Assembly for swiftly approving the proclamation, and praised traditional rulers and citizens of Rivers State for their patience and cooperation during the emergency. He also acknowledged dissenting voices, including those who challenged the declaration in court, describing such actions as part of democracy.

Tinubu said intelligence reports indicated a “groundswell of a new spirit of understanding” among Rivers’ political leaders, paving the way for a return to normal governance. “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,” he declared.

Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly are to resume their duties from Wednesday, 18 September.

The President urged leaders at state and national levels to prioritise peace, order, and cooperation, stressing that democracy can only thrive in a stable political environment.

“Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he concluded.