President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday announced the end of the six months state of emergency in Rivers State, citing intelligence available to him of “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”.
Newsmata.com.ng (NM) reports that President Tinubu had on March 18, 2025, imposed emergency rule in Rivers State due to protracted political crises in the state arising from a feud between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor and godfather, Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
Lifting the state of emergency, Tinubu directed Governor Fubara, his Deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly to resume duties on Thursday.
A statement released in Abuja by President Tinubu read in part:
“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 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 Sept. 18”.
A thanksgiving service on Sunday by retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas, the the sole administrator appointed by President Tinubu, had sent the signal that the emergency rule would not be extended.
NM recalls that Wike had on Saturday August 30, 2025, after casting his vote during the controversial local government election hinted of restoration of democratic governance in the state.
The FCT minister told journalists that “As far as we are concerned, this election is peaceful, people are trooping out and at the end of the day the election has been conducted successfully and peacefully.
“I do know that by September 18, the state of emergency will expire, and the state assembly will come back to their job, and we will have a government at the grassroots level”.
According to him, “The coast is clear for the state of emergency to be lifted, being that the state government has its representative and the local government has its representatives, so we are good to go.”
