After six months under lock, Rivers State returns to democracy. President Bola Tinubu has ended emergency rule, restoring Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the State Assembly to office from September 18.
When Rivers Went Dark
In March 2025, Rivers slipped into paralysis. Twenty-seven lawmakers turned against Governor Fubara, aligning with Speaker Martins Amaewhule. Budgets could not be passed, governance ground to a halt, and the Supreme Court declared the state effectively “without government.”
Pipelines were vandalised, politics fractured, and every attempt at mediation collapsed. On March 18, Tinubu invoked Section 305 of the Constitution to suspend the governor, deputies, and all lawmakers — a first-of-its-kind step in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.
Six Months on Pause
Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.) was appointed sole administrator, steering Rivers while over 40 lawsuits challenged the proclamation in Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Yenagoa. Critics cried overreach, but Tinubu insisted it was a constitutional necessity to stop “a drift toward anarchy.”
The National Assembly backed him, traditional rulers cooperated, and for half a year Rivers lived in suspended animation, its democracy on ice.
The Return of Fubara
On September 17, Tinubu declared the emergency over. “It gives me great pleasure to declare that the emergency in Rivers shall end with effect from midnight today,” he said. From Thursday, Fubara, Odu, and Amaewhule will resume their offices.
Tinubu claimed intelligence showed “a new spirit of understanding” among Rivers’ political elite — an opportunity, he argued, to restore harmony and governance.
A Fragile Peace?
The crisis may be formally over, but tensions linger. Will Fubara and Amaewhule reconcile? Will the Assembly cooperate with the executive? Analysts warn that if old rivalries resurface, Rivers could relapse into turmoil.
For Tinubu, ending the emergency is a gamble: a chance to showcase constitutional balance, but also a risk that Nigeria’s oil heartland could slide back into chaos.
Closing Line:
With the spotlight back on Rivers, all eyes turn to Port Harcourt to see if its leaders can turn six months of silence into a sustainable peace.
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