President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced the end of the six-month State of Emergency in Rivers State, declaring that normal democratic governance will resume at midnight on Wednesday.
The emergency rule, which began on March 18, was imposed after a prolonged political standoff between Gov. Siminalayi Fubara and the State House of Assembly, a crisis that left governance paralysed and led the Supreme Court to declare that there was effectively “no government” in the state.
Tinubu explained that his decision to invoke Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution was a last resort after reconciliation efforts failed.
“It wouls have been a colossal failure on my part as President not to have made that proclamation,” he said.
During the period, the offices of the governor, deputy governor, and Assembly members were suspended, while federal authorities oversaw the state’s affairs.
Tinubu thanked the National Assembly, traditional rulers, and Rivers citizens for their cooperation, noting that over 40 legal challenges were filed against the proclamation but insisting it was necessary to avert “a drift towards anarchy.”
The President said intelligence reports now show “a new spirit of understanding, a robust readiness, and potent enthusiasm” among stakeholders, making the return to civilian authority possible.
With the suspension lifted, Gov. Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Nma Odu, Speaker Martins Amaewhule, and other Assembly members are set to resume duties on September 18.
Tinubu, however, used the moment to caution political leaders against destructive rivalries, stressing: “It is only in an atmosphere of peace, order, and good government that we can deliver the dividends of democracy to our people.
He concluded his address with a call for unity, urging leaders across the country to prioritise citizens’ interests above political conflict.