President Bola Tinubu has announced the end of the state of emergency in Rivers State, six months after it was first imposed to quell a political and governance crisis.
According to a statement released on Wednesday, Tinubu recalled that the proclamation was necessary due to the paralysis of governance caused by the prolonged standoff between Governor and the Rivers State House of Assembly.
An excerpt from the statement reads,
“You will recall that on March 18, 2025, I proclaimed a state of emergency in the state,” the President said. “There was a total paralysis of governance in Rivers State, which had led to the Governor and the House of Assembly being unable to work together.
“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.”
At the height of the impasse, the House of Assembly was split, with 27 lawmakers aligned with the Speaker and four supporting the Governor.
This division left the executive unable to present or pass an appropriation bill, effectively grinding the state’s operations to a halt. The Supreme Court, ruling on one of several disputes between the two arms of government, had declared that “there was no government in Rivers State.”
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Tinubu further explained that critical economic assets, including oil pipelines, were being vandalized amid the political unrest. “My intervention and that of other well-meaning Nigerians to resolve the conflict proved abortive as both sides stuck rigidly to their positions,” he noted.
Citing Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, the President suspended the Governor, Deputy Governor, and all members of the State House of Assembly for an initial period of six months. That suspension expired on September 17, 2025.
While acknowledging criticisms and the more than 40 court cases filed to challenge his decision, Tinubu defended the move: “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 safety. It would have been a colossal failure on my part as President not to have made that proclamation.”
Tinubu expressed gratitude to the National Assembly for swiftly endorsing the declaration, as well as to Rivers traditional rulers and residents for their cooperation. He lauded the National Assembly people of Rivers State for their support from the date of the declaration of the state of emergency until now.
What we know
- Recall that the political crisis in Rivers State had been brewing for months which led to the state of emergency announcement, stemming from a bitter feud between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and his former political ally, Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
- The power struggle between the two leaders has plunged the state into chaos, with reports of pipeline vandalism, threats of mass protests by civil servants, and heightened tensions among political factions.
- During the period, President Bola Tinubu inaugurated Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (Rtd) as Administrator of Rivers State.
- The inauguration was held at the State House Abuja on Wednesday even as the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi SAN, at a State House press briefing, backed the release of Rivers State allocation to the new administration following a state of emergency in the state.
