President Bola Tinubu has declared a state of emergency in Rivers State in response to the escalating political crisis in the region.
During a nationwide address on Tuesday, Tinubu announced the immediate suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all members of the state’s House of Assembly for a six-month period. To oversee the state’s governance in the interim, he appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas as the temporary administrator.
Citing Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, the president justified his decision, emphasizing that a state of emergency is necessary when national security, public safety, or political instability threatens governance. He stressed that such measures are essential to maintaining order and preventing further chaos.
This action mirrors previous emergency declarations in Nigeria, such as the one issued by former President Goodluck Jonathan on May 14, 2013, covering the insurgency-plagued states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa. A partial emergency had also been declared on December 31, 2011, in specific regions of Yobe, Borno, Plateau, and Niger states, leading to temporary border closures.
The crisis in Rivers State has been brewing for months, driven by a power struggle between Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and his former protégé, Governor Fubara. The tensions have escalated, with reports of pipeline explosions and threats of mass demonstrations from civil servants opposing a faction of the state House of Assembly aligned with Wike.
Addressing these developments, Tinubu stated, “The latest security reports made available to me show that between yesterday and today there have been disturbing incidents of vandalisation of pipelines by some militants without the governor taking any action to curtail them. I have, of course, given stern orders to the security agencies to ensure the safety of the good people of Rivers State and the oil pipelines.”
He further explained, “With all these and many more, no good and responsible President will stand by and allow the grave situation to continue without taking remedial steps prescribed by the Constitution to address the situation in the state, which no doubt requires extraordinary measures to restore good governance, peace, order, and security.”
Justifying his intervention, Tinubu added, “In the circumstance, having soberly reflected on and evaluated the political situation in Rivers State, and the Governor and Deputy Governor of Rivers State having failed to make a request to me as President to issue this proclamation as required by Section 305(5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, it has become inevitably compelling for me to invoke the provision of Section 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State with effect from today, 18th March 2025, and I so do.”
He continued, “By this declaration, the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs. Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State are hereby suspended for an initial period of six months.”
On governance arrangements, Tinubu affirmed, “In the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd) as Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state in the interest of the good people of Rivers State.”
Clarifying the scope of the emergency measures, he assured, “For the avoidance of doubt, this declaration does not affect the judicial arm of Rivers State, which shall continue to function in accordance with their constitutional mandate.”
Regarding legislative authority, Tinubu noted, “The Administrator will not make any new laws. He will, however, be free to formulate regulations as may be found necessary to do his job, but such regulations will need to be considered and approved by the Federal Executive Council and promulgated by the President for the state.”
Confirming the legal process, Tinubu stated, “This declaration has been published in the Federal Gazette, a copy of which has been forwarded to the National Assembly in accordance with the Constitution.”
Concluding his speech, the president expressed optimism, saying, “It is my fervent hope that this inevitable intervention will help to restore peace and order in Rivers State by awakening all the contenders to the constitutional imperatives binding on all political players in Rivers State in particular and Nigeria as a whole.”
