By Frank Arinze, Campus Journalist, JKNewsMedia
THE STATE of Emergency imposed in Rivers State formally ends at midnight today following a presidential directive confirming the resumption of democratic governance after six months of suspension.
Addressing the nation, President Bola Tinubu recalled that the decision to declare a state of emergency on 18 March 2025 arose from what he described as a paralysis of governance in Rivers State.
He stated that the breakdown stemmed from a deep division between the Governor and the State House of Assembly, leaving the executive and legislature unable to function together.
According to him, 27 members of the House had aligned with the Speaker against the Governor, while only four stood with the executive, creating a legislative deadlock that blocked the presentation of an Appropriation Bill and halted the state’s access to funds.
President said critical state assets, including oil pipelines, were being vandalised while the Assembly remained split into two rival groups.
He noted that the Supreme Court, in one of its judgments during the disputes between the arms of government, had ruled that there was effectively no government in Rivers State.
The Head of State explained that despite interventions by him and other well-meaning Nigerians, both sides refused to compromise, forcing the invocation of Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to proclaim a state of emergency.
He emphasised that the suspension of the Governor, Deputy Governor, and all elected members of the House of Assembly for six months was necessary to prevent the drift into anarchy.
He expressed appreciation to the National Assembly for promptly approving the emergency proclamation, as well as to traditional rulers and the people of Rivers State for their cooperation throughout the six-month period.
He also acknowledged that more than 40 cases had been filed in courts in Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Yenagoa challenging the declaration, noting that some were still pending.
The President stressed that the constitutional provision for declaring a state of emergency is intended to address situations of actual or imminent breakdown of public order.
He further stressed that Rivers State had indeed reached such a crisis point, adding that failure to act would have amounted to a dereliction of duty.
Speaking on the importance of harmony between executive and legislative arms at every level of governance, he said the electorate’s expectations of democratic dividends cannot be realised in an atmosphere dominated by violence, anarchy, and political manipulations.
He declared that intelligence reports now indicate a renewed commitment by all stakeholders in Rivers State to restore peace and work together under democratic structures.
He also described the development as a welcome sign that justified ending the emergency without extension.
The President 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 their offices from 18 September 2025.
He concluded by urging all state governors and legislators across the country to uphold peace, order, and good governance as the foundation for delivering democratic dividends, while stressing that the realisation of this responsibility should guide their decisions and actions at all times.
FULL TEXT OF THE PRESIDENT’S SPEECH
STATEHOUSE STATEMENT
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.
