By Solomon OKPO
ABUJA – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced the cessation of the state of emergency in Rivers State, effective midnight of September 17, 2025, paving the way for Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Dr. Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule to return to office.
The President made the declaration in a national broadcast on Tuesday, expressing satisfaction that the political actors in the state had shown renewed willingness to work together after six months of federal intervention.
Tinubu reminded Nigerians that he invoked Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution to impose emergency rule in Rivers on March 18, 2025, following what he described as “a total paralysis of governance.” The rift between the governor and the majority faction of the Assembly, he said, left the state stranded, unable to pass an appropriation bill or safeguard vital economic assets such as oil pipelines.
“The situation had deteriorated to the extent that even the Supreme Court, in its judgment, declared there was no government in Rivers State,” Tinubu stated, defending his decision as both constitutional and necessary to prevent anarchy.
During the emergency period, the offices of the governor, deputy governor, and all elected lawmakers were suspended while the National Assembly endorsed the presidential proclamation.
Acknowledging opposition from some quarters, including over 40 legal challenges filed in Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Yenagoa, Tinubu insisted that history would justify his action as a safeguard of democracy and public order.
With the six-month suspension expiring, the President said intelligence reports confirmed “a groundswell of new understanding and enthusiasm” among Rivers’ political stakeholders to restore normal governance.
“I do not see why the state of emergency should exist a day longer than the six months I had pronounced,” Tinubu said.
He urged the reinstated leaders to prioritize cooperation and good governance, stressing that Nigerians expect peace, stability, and the dividends of democracy, not political brinkmanship.
