Tinubu Lifts Rivers State Emergency Rule, Democracy Returns September 18

President Bola Tinubu has ended the state of emergency in Rivers State, paving the way for democratic governance to resume after six months of federal control.

The emergency, declared on March 18, 2025, suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Nma Odu, and the 32-member State House of Assembly. The drastic step followed a political crisis that split the legislature into rival camps and left governance paralyzed.

The presidency said the intervention was necessary to prevent a breakdown of law and order after tensions escalated, vital oil facilities were attacked, and the state drifted toward chaos. For six months, the state remained under suspension while legal and political battles unfolded.

Tinubu explained that the decision to restore democracy was based on renewed cooperation among political stakeholders. The suspension officially ends at midnight on September 17, with Fubara, Odu, and Speaker Martins Amaewhule set to return to office on September 18.

The proclamation attracted more than 40 court cases in Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Yenagoa, but federal authorities maintained that the measure was unavoidable, especially after a Supreme Court ruling noted that governance had collapsed in the state.

Tinubu commended the National Assembly for endorsing the emergency declaration and acknowledged the role of traditional rulers and residents of Rivers in keeping the peace during the period.

He urged politicians across the country to draw lessons from the crisis, stressing that democracy thrives only when the executive and legislature work together. According to him, citizens expect results from those they elect, and those expectations cannot be met in an atmosphere of conflict.

Attention now turns to how Rivers leaders will navigate the return to normal governance and whether the fragile calm among political actors will last beyond the lifting of the emergency.