By Gift Home, JKNewsMedia Reporter
SUPPORTERS AND residents filled the surroundings of the Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt on Thursday, September 18, 2025, awaiting the return of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Nma Odu, to office after President Bola Tinubu lifted the six-month emergency rule imposed on the state.
The President, in a directive issued on Wednesday, ordered Fubara, Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to resume their duties with immediate effect.
President Tinubu stated that the suspension, declared on March 18, had been necessary to avert anarchy during a prolonged political crisis that rocked the oil-rich state.
Residents, supporters, and officials began gathering at the Government House as early as 8.00am, awaiting the governor’s arrival.
Security operatives and emergency services were also on the ground to maintain order as the handover took place.
Retired Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, who had served as sole administrator throughout the emergency period, vacated the premises on Wednesday evening following the presidential announcement.
Ibas, in a state broadcast before departing office, urged political stakeholders in Rivers to embrace dialogue and mutual respect in order to sustain peace.
His tenure as sole administrator had been marked by contentious developments, including the inauguration of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) in July and the conduct of local government elections in August.
The elections saw the All Progressives Congress (APC) secure 20 council seats, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won three.
The crisis in Rivers began months after Fubara’s inauguration as governor in May 2023.
A fallout with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, escalated into a fierce political struggle for control of the state.
The dispute extended to the Rivers State House of Assembly, splitting lawmakers and heightening tensions.
The standoff reached its peak in March when President Tinubu declared a state of emergency and appointed Ibas as sole administrator.
However, reconciliation efforts followed in June, with the President convening a meeting in Abuja attended by Fubara, Wike, Assembly Speaker Martin Amaewhule, and other stakeholders.
Both Fubara and Wike were later seen together at a state ceremony, signalling signs of rapprochement.
In announcing the end of the emergency rule on Wednesday evening, Tinubu said the measure had been taken in the national interest to prevent instability in a key state.
He explained that while the intervention was necessary to restore order, the time had come to allow Rivers leaders to resume their constitutional roles.
