President Bola Tinubu has lifted the emergency rule in Rivers State, restoring full democratic governance six months after he suspended political structures in the state.
With immediate effect from September 18, 2025, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Nma Odu, and the Rivers State House of Assembly will resume their constitutional roles.
In a statement that lasted just 61 words, President Tinubu declared:
“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 September 18, 2025.”
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Fubara’s political platform, urged him to remain loyal to the party.
On the other hand, the All Progressives Congress (APC) made overtures, promising him a top political future if he switched sides.
Meanwhile, aides of Vice Admiral Ibok-Etteh Ibas (rtd.), the Sole Administrator who managed the state during the emergency, staged a mild protest at the Government House over unpaid allowances.
However, his media adviser, Hector Igbikioiwubo, dismissed the incident, insisting that the atmosphere remained calm.
President Tinubu explained that his decision to suspend democratic governance in March was unavoidable, citing the collapse of governance and a fragmented House of Assembly.
“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,” he said.
However, he noted that fresh intelligence suggested a new willingness among stakeholders to work together.
“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,” Tinubu added.
The Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, is set to hold its first legislative sitting since the suspension.
Lawmakers have already moved back into the Assembly Residential Complex on the Aba-Port Harcourt expressway.
The session is scheduled for Thursday morning at 10 am.
At press time, Deputy Governor Ngozi Nma Odu had returned to Port Harcourt.
Residents of the state were also awaiting Governor Fubara’s arrival after his reported return to Nigeria earlier in the week.
President Tinubu concluded his statement with an appeal to political leaders across the country:
“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.”
For many in Rivers, the end of emergency rule marks not just a political shift but a chance for renewed stability after months of uncertainty.
