Tinubu Ends Six-Month State of Emergency in Rivers

President Bola Tinubu has announced the end of the six-month state of emergency imposed on Rivers State, confirming that Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly will return to office effective Thursday, September 18, 2025.

In a statement released Wednesday by the Presidency, Tinubu explained that the emergency rule, first declared on March 18, 2025, became necessary to address the “total paralysis of governance” that had overtaken the state at the time.

He recalled that a prolonged conflict between the governor and 27 lawmakers loyal to the House Speaker had left Rivers without a functioning government, with the Supreme Court at one point ruling that “there was no government in Rivers State.”

“It therefore gives me great pleasure to declare that the emergency in Rivers State 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, including the Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, will resume work in their offices from September 18, 2025,” Tinubu said.

The President’s decision marks the restoration of full democratic governance in the oil-rich state after months of uncertainty.