Tinubu Lifts Rivers Emergency Rule, Restores Fubara As Gov

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared an end to the six-month state of emergency in Rivers, announcing that Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the state house of assembly will resume their offices from September 18.

Tinubu, in a statement on Tuesday, said the emergency rule declared on March 18, 2025, became necessary after a total paralysis of governance in the state. He recalled how the bitter standoff between the executive and legislature left Rivers without an appropriation law, crippled development, and exposed oil pipelines and other assets to vandalism.

“The governor could not present any Appropriation Bill to the House, to enable him to access funds 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, held that there was no government in Rivers State,” he said.

The president explained that his intervention, alongside other well-meaning Nigerians, could not resolve the crisis as both camps held firmly to their positions.

This, he said, compelled him to invoke Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution to declare the emergency, suspending the offices of the governor, deputy governor, and lawmakers for six months.

Tinubu thanked the national assembly for swiftly approving the proclamation and praised traditional rulers and Rivers citizens for their support throughout the period. He also admitted there were dissenting voices who filed over 40 cases in courts across Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Yenagoa, but insisted the declaration was a constitutional necessity.

“Considered objectively, we had reached that situation of total breakdown of public order and public safety in Rivers State. It would have been a colossal failure on my part as president not to have made that proclamation,” he said.

Tinubu added that intelligence reports now show “a new spirit of understanding” among political actors in Rivers, paving the way for a return to full democratic governance.

“I 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 said.

The president urged governors and state assemblies nationwide to maintain harmony between the executive and legislature, stressing that only peace and stability can guarantee the dividends of democracy for Nigerians.