Tinubu lifts emergency rule in Rivers as Fubara, Assembly return to office Sept 18
He explained that as of March 18, when he declared the state of emergency in the state, there was a total collapse of governance and the fragmentation of the state House of Assembly.
He said that his intervention, along with that of other well-meaning Nigerians, to resolve the conflict proved abortive, as both sides remained rigidly entrenched in their positions, to the detriment of peace and the development of the state.
President Tinubu, however, stated that, based on the intelligence available to him, there is a groundswell of a new spirit of understanding, a robust readiness, and potent enthusiasm among all stakeholders in Rivers State for an immediate return to democratic governance.
Consequently, he said he did not see why the state of emergency should exist a day longer than the six months he 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,” he said.