PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria — Port Harcourt erupted into jubilation on Thursday, September 18, 2025, as thousands of residents thronged the Rivers State Government House to welcome Governor Siminalayi Fubara back to office, marking the end of six months of emergency rule.
From as early as 8am, a sea of supporters began converging on Azikiwe Road, the approach to the government house.
Waving flags, singing praise songs, and chanting the governor’s name, the jubilant crowd turned the street into a carnival ground.
Placards with inscriptions such as “Welcome Back Our Governor”, “Democracy Has Triumphed”, and “Rivers People Stand with Fubara” were held aloft by supporters who described the day as “a new dawn for Rivers.”
The excitement followed President Bola Tinubu’s announcement on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, lifting the six-month emergency rule imposed in March after a bitter political crisis rocked the oil-rich state.
In his statement, Tinubu directed Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and the state’s House of Assembly members to resume work immediately.
Ibok-Ete Ibas, the retired naval chief who served as sole administrator during the emergency period, vacated the government house shortly before the president’s declaration, paving the way for Fubara’s return.
Security was visibly tight around the complex, but the atmosphere remained festive as cultural troupes performed dances while supporters awaited the governor’s official entry into his office.
See photos below:
