President Bola Tinubu has used force to resolve the two-year political crisis that has ravaged Rivers State by declaring a state of emergency.
In a 1003-word nationwide broadcast, the president suspended the governor, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly for six months.
He appointed Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas, ret’d, former Chief of Naval Staff, as administrator, and the appointment is subject to the confirmation of the National Assembly.
With this development, Rivers has become the sixth state, after Plateau, Ekiti, Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa, to witness a state of emergency since the return of democratic rule in 1999.
Also, Rivers became the third state after Plateau and Ekiti to have their governors, deputies and legislators suspended during the emergency rule.
Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states’ governors were in the saddle during the emergency rule in the three states.
Declaring the state of emergency yesterday, Tinubu said: ‘’Fellow Nigerians, I feel greatly disturbed at the turn we have come to regarding the political crisis in Rivers State. Like many of you, I have watched with concern the development, with the hope that the parties involved would allow good sense to prevail at the soonest, but all that hope burned out without any solution to the crisis.
“With the crisis persisting, there is no way democratic governance, which we have all fought and worked for over the years, can thrive in a way that will redound to the benefit of the good people of the state.
“The state has been at a standstill since the crisis started, with the good people of the state not being able to have access to the dividends of democracy.
Also, it is public knowledge that the governor of Rivers State for unjustifiable reasons, demolished the House of Assembly of the state as far back as December 13, 2023, and has, up until now, fourteen (14) months after, not rebuilt same.
I have made personal interventions between the contending parties for a peaceful resolution of the crisis, but my efforts have been largely ignored by the parties to the crisis. I am also aware that many well-meaning Nigerians, leaders of thought and patriotic groups have also intervened at various times with the best of intentions to resolve the matter, but all their efforts were also to no avail. Still, I thank them.
On February 28, 2025, the Supreme Court, in a judgment in respect of about eight consolidated appeals concerning the political crisis in Rivers State, based on several grave unconstitutional acts and disregard of rule of law that have been committed by the governor of Rivers State as shown by the evidence before it, pronounced in very clear terms:
“A government cannot be said to exist without one of the three arms that make up the government of a state under the 1999 Constitution as amended. In this case, the head of the executive arm of government has chosen to collapse the legislature to enable him govern without the legislature as a despot. As it is, there is no government in Rivers State.
The above pronouncement came after a catalogue of judicial findings of constitutional breaches against Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Going Forward in their judgment, and having found and held that 27 members of the House who had allegedly defected are still valid members of Rivers State House of Assembly and cannot be prevented from participating in the proceedings of that House by the 8th Respondent (that is, the governor) in cohorts with four members
“The Supreme Court then made some orders to restore the state to immediate constitutional democracy. These orders include the immediate passing of an Appropriation Bill by the Rivers State House of Assembly which up till now has not been facilitated.
Some militants had threatened fire and brimstone against their perceived enemy of the governor who has up till now NOT disowned them. Apart from that, both the House and the governor have not been able to work together.
