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| Tinubu and Fubara |
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced the lifting of the six-month state of emergency in Rivers State on Wednesday, September 17, 2025.
He confirmed in a nationwide broadcast that Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Nma Odu, and the State House of Assembly members will officially resume their duties from September 18, 2025.
In a nationwide address from the State House, the President explained that the emergency, imposed on March 18, 2025, was necessary due to a what he described as complete collapse of governance in Rivers State, a position that many analysts disagreed with.
He nonetheless pointed to severe conflicts between the governor and the legislative majority, widespread vandalism of oil pipelines, and a constitutional deadlock described by the Supreme Court as leaving the state effectively without a functioning government.
Tinubu explained that invoking Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution was “painfully inevitable” to arrest the alleged drift toward anarchy, adding that suspending elected officials was the only way to restore order. The National Assembly ratified the proclamation, while over 40 court cases were filed to challenge it.
“Today, there is a new spirit of understanding, readiness, and enthusiasm among 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 pronounced.”
He thanked Rivers residents, traditional rulers, and the National Assembly for their support during the emergency, and urged political leaders nationwide to put peace and good governance above personal rivalries.
“I implore all governors and lawmakers to remember that it is only in an atmosphere of peace, order, and good government that we can deliver the dividends of democracy to our people,” he said.
The emergency officially ends at midnight on September 17, 2025.
Many groups had however kicked against the emergency rule arguing that the situation in the state at the time didn’t not warrant the sledgehammer, which they categorically said was mostly politically motivated against the opposition government.
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