Tinubu Ends State of Emergency in Rivers State, Restores Governor Fubara, Lawmakers

By Joseph Iyaji | Akahi News

Abuja, September 17, 2025 – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially declared the end of the six-month state of emergency imposed on Rivers State, restoring full democratic governance in the state effective from midnight, September 17, 2025.

Speaking from the State House in Abuja on Wednesday, President Tinubu announced that Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Nma Odu, Speaker Martins Amaewhule, and all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly will resume office from September 18, 2025.

Why the State of Emergency Was Declared

The state of emergency was proclaimed on March 18, 2025, after a severe political crisis paralysed governance in Rivers State. The governor and the state legislature were locked in a protracted power tussle that split the House of Assembly into two opposing factions.

Four lawmakers aligned with Governor Fubara, while twenty-seven supported the Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, leaving the state unable to pass critical bills, including the annual budget. The situation escalated with reports of oil pipeline vandalism and growing insecurity, forcing the President to intervene under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution.

Even the Supreme Court noted at one point that there was “no functional government” in Rivers State due to the constitutional impasse.

President Tinubu’s Key Message

In his nationwide broadcast, President Tinubu stressed that the decision to invoke emergency powers was not taken lightly but was necessary to prevent the state from sliding into anarchy.

“It therefore gives me great pleasure to declare that the emergency in Rivers State of Nigeria shall end with effect from midnight today,” Tinubu said.

He acknowledged dissenting voices and over forty lawsuits challenging the emergency declaration but emphasised that peace, order, and the smooth functioning of government must always take precedence over political disputes.

Tinubu also expressed confidence that the return of democratic governance would come with a renewed commitment by all stakeholders to work together for the state’s progress.

Call for Peace and Order

The President used the occasion to remind governors, lawmakers, and political leaders nationwide that democracy can only thrive in an atmosphere of peace and stability.

“I implore all of you to let this realisation drive your actions at all times,” he said, urging leaders across Nigeria to avoid needless conflicts that disrupt governance and development.

What Happens Next

With the emergency lifted, all elected officials in Rivers State are expected to return to their offices and resume normal governance. Analysts believe the next few weeks will determine whether the peace deal reached behind the scenes will hold and whether the executive and legislature can now work in harmony.

Political observers also expect the Rivers State government to prioritise passing the long-delayed appropriation bill to address urgent economic and developmental needs.

For more updates on this developing story, visit Akahi News.

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STATEMENT BY HIS EXCELLENCY, BOLA AHMED TINUBU, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, ON THE CESSATION OF THE STATE OF EMERGENCY IN RIVERS STATE

My Fellow countrymen and, in particular, the good people of Rivers State.

I am happy to address you today on the state of emergency declaration in Rivers State. You will recall that on 18th March, 2025, I proclaimed a state of emergency in the state. In my proclamation address, I highlighted the reasons for the declaration. The summary of it for context is that 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. Critical economic assets of the State, including oil pipelines, were being vandalised. The State House of Assembly was crisis-ridden, such that members of the House were divided into two groups. Four members worked with the Governor, while 27 members opposed the Governor. The latter group supported the Speaker. As a result, the Governor could not present any Appropriation Bill to the House, to enable him to access funds to run Rivers State’s affairs. That serious constitutional impasse brought governance in the State to a standstill. Even the Supreme Court, in one of its judgments in a series of cases filed by the Executive and the Legislative arms of Rivers State against each other, held that there was no government in Rivers State. My intervention and that of other well-meaning Nigerians to resolve the conflict proved abortive as both sides stuck rigidly to their positions to the detriment of peace and development of the State.

It therefore became painfully inevitable that to arrest the drift towards anarchy in Rivers State, I was obligated to invoke the powers conferred on me by Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, to proclaim the state of emergency. The Offices of the Governor, Deputy Governor, and elected members of the State House of Assembly were suspended for six months in the first instance. The six months expire today, September 17th, 2025.

I thank the National Assembly, which, after critically evaluating the justification for the proclamation, took steps immediately, as required by the Constitution, to approve the declaration in the interest of peace and order in Rivers State. I  also thank our traditional rulers and the good people of Rivers State for their support from the date of the declaration of the state of emergency until now.

I am not unaware that there were a few voices of dissent against the proclamation, which led to their instituting over 40 cases in the courts in Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Yenagoa, to invalidate the declaration. That is the way it should be in a democratic setting. Some cases are still pending in the courts as of today. But what needs to be said is that the power to declare a state of emergency is an inbuilt constitutional tool to address situations of actual or threatened breakdown of public order and public safety, which require extraordinary measures to return the State to peace, order and security. Considered objectively, we had reached that situation of total breakdown of public order and public safety in Rivers State, as shown in the judgment of the Supreme Court on the disputes between the Executive and the Legislative arm of Rivers State. It would have been a colossal failure on my part as President not to have made that proclamation.

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. 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 among the stakeholders.

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. 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 State of Nigeria 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 18 September 2025.
 
I take this opportunity to remind the Governors and the Houses of Assembly of all the States of our country to continue to appreciate that it is only in an atmosphere of peace, order, and good government that we can deliver the dividends of democracy to our people. I implore all of you to let this realisation drive your actions at all times.
 
I thank you all.
 
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
 
Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR
President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
Federal Republic of Nigeria
State House, Abuja
September 17, 2025