President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reinstated Siminalayi Fubara as Governor of Rivers State, effective midnight today. He also announced the end of the emergency rule in Rivers state.
The president, in a statement released by his media aides said;
“I am happy to address you today on the state of emergency declaration in Rivers State. You will recall that on 18th March, 2025, I proclaimed a state of emergency in the state. In my proclamation address, I highlighted the reasons for the declaration.”
“The summary of it for context is that there was a total paralysis of governance in Rivers State. This had led to the Governor of Rivers State and the House of Assembly being unable to work together. Critical economic assets of the State, including oil pipelines, were being vandalised. The State House of Assembly was crisis-ridden. Members of the House were divided into two groups. Four members worked with the Governor, while 27 members opposed the Governor.”
“The latter group supported the Speaker. As a result, the Governor could not present any Appropriation Bill to the House to enable him to access funds. These funds were needed to run Rivers State’s affairs. That serious constitutional impasse brought governance in the State to a standstill. Even the Supreme Court, in one of its judgments in a series of cases filed by the Executive and the Legislative arms of Rivers State against each other, held that there was no government in Rivers State. My intervention and that of other well-meaning Nigerians to resolve the conflict proved abortive. Both sides stuck rigidly to their positions to the detriment of peace and development of the State.”
“It therefore became painfully inevitable that I was obligated to invoke the powers conferred on me by Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. This was done to arrest the drift towards anarchy in Rivers State. I proclaimed the state of emergency. 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.”
Fubara Reinstated
He also announced the reinstatement of Siminilayi Fubara after the six months suspension handed down to him elapsed.
“I am happy today that, from the intelligence available to me, there is a groundswell of a new spirit of understanding. There is robust readiness and potent enthusiasm on the part of all stakeholders in Rivers State. They are eager for an immediate return to democratic governance. This is undoubtedly a welcome development for me and a remarkable achievement for us. 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.
“It therefore gives me great pleasure to declare that the emergency in Rivers State of Nigeria shall end with effect from midnight today. 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.” He said.