Tinubu Ends Rivers State Emergency, Reinstates Governor Fubara and Assembly

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially lifted the State of Emergency in Rivers State, bringing an end to a six-month federal intervention and restoring the mandate of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Nma Odu, and the Rivers State House of Assembly.

In a nationwide address on Wednesday, Tinubu recalled that he declared the emergency on March 18, 2025, following a complete paralysis of governance in the oil-rich state. The president said the political impasse between the governor and the legislature, which left the state without an approved budget, threatened peace, security, and vital economic assets.

“There was a total paralysis of governance in Rivers State, which had led to the Governor of Rivers State and the House of Assembly being unable to work together,” Tinubu said. “Critical economic assets of the State, including oil pipelines, were being vandalised. Even the Supreme Court… held that there was no government in Rivers State.”

The president explained that his intervention was guided by Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the head of state to proclaim a state of emergency to forestall a breakdown of public order. He noted that both his efforts and those of other stakeholders to resolve the crisis had failed before the emergency was declared.

Tinubu also acknowledged the controversy that trailed the suspension of elected officials, including legal challenges from the Nigerian Bar Association and civil society groups. Over 40 court cases were filed across Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Yenagoa contesting the legality of the proclamation.

Despite the opposition, the president insisted that the emergency was necessary and effective.

“It would have been a colossal failure on my part as President not to have made that proclamation,” he said. “But I am happy today that… 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.”

He announced that the emergency would end at midnight on September 17, 2025, and that the suspended officials would resume duties the following day.

Tinubu urged political leaders across the country to learn from Rivers State’s crisis, stressing the need for harmony between the executive and legislative arms of government.

“It is only in an atmosphere of peace, order, and good government that we can deliver the dividends of democracy to our people,” he cautioned.

The president also commended the National Assembly for approving the emergency declaration, and thanked traditional rulers and citizens of Rivers State for their support during the period.

With the lifting of the emergency, governance is set to return fully to the state after months of constitutional uncertainty.