ABUJA, Nigeria — President Bola Tinubu has declared an end to the six-month emergency rule in Rivers State, announcing that Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and members of the state House of Assembly will resume their offices from Thursday, September 18, 2025.
In a statement personally signed and released on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, Tinubu said the emergency proclamation, imposed on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, amid a paralysing political crisis, had achieved its objectives of restoring order and stability in the oil-rich state.
“I am happy today that, from the intelligence available to me, there is a groundswell of a new spirit of understanding, a robust readiness, and potent enthusiasm on the part of all the stakeholders in Rivers State for an immediate return to democratic governance,” the President said.
“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.”
The March 2025 declaration came after deepening divisions between the executive and legislature in Rivers left governance at a standstill.
Twenty-seven lawmakers loyal to Speaker Martins Amaewhule had clashed with a minority bloc backing Governor Fubara, preventing passage of appropriation bills and prompting a Supreme Court ruling that effectively found “no government in Rivers State.”
According to the President, critical state assets, including oil pipelines, were also threatened during the impasse, and repeated attempts at mediation failed.
Invoking Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, he suspended the governor, deputy governor, and all members of the assembly while appointing Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd) as sole administrator.
Tinubu thanked the National Assembly for swiftly approving the proclamation, and praised traditional rulers and citizens of Rivers for their cooperation.
He acknowledged dissent, noting that more than 40 court cases had been filed to challenge the legality of the emergency rule, but said his intervention was necessary to avert “a colossal failure” of governance.
“As a stakeholder in democratic governance, I believe that the need for a harmonious existence and relationship between the executive and the legislature is key to a successful government, whether at the state or national level,” he said.
With the emergency lifted, Tinubu urged the restored Rivers leadership to set aside divisions and focus on development.
“The people who voted us into power expect to reap the fruits of democracy. However, that expectation will remain unrealizable in an atmosphere of violence, anarchy, and insecurity borne by misguided political activism and Machiavellian manipulations,” he cautioned.
He also called on all state governments and assemblies nationwide to ensure peace and stability as prerequisites for delivering democratic dividends.
Governor Fubara and his deputy are expected to resume duties in Port Harcourt on Thursday, September 18, 2025, marking the end of an unprecedented suspension of elected leaders under emergency rule.
