My Fellow countrymen and, in particular, the good people of Rivers State.

I am happy to address you today on the state of emergency declaration in Rivers State. You will recall that on 18th March, 2025, I proclaimed a state of emergency in the state. In my proclamation address, I highlighted the reasons for the declaration. The summary of it for context is that there was a total paralysis of governance in Rivers State, which had led to the Governor of Rivers State and the House of Assembly being unable to work together. Critical economic assets of the State, including oil pipelines, were being vandalised.

The State House of Assembly was crisis-ridden, such that members of the House were divided into two groups. Four members worked with the Governor, while 27 members opposed the Governor. The latter group supported the Speaker. As a result, the Governor could not present any Appropriation Bill to the House, to enable him to access funds to run Rivers State’s affairs.

That serious constitutional impasse brought governance in the State to a standstill. Even the Supreme Court, in one of its judgments in a series of cases filed by the Executive and the Legislative arms of Rivers State against each other, held that there was no government in Rivers State. 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.

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It therefore became painfully inevitable that to arrest the drift towards anarchy in Rivers State, I was obligated to invoke the powers conferred on me by Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, to proclaim the state of emergency. The Offices of the Governor, Deputy Governor, and elected members of the State House of Assembly were suspended for six months in the first instance. The six months expire today, September 17th, 2025.

I thank the National Assembly, which, after critically evaluating the justification for the proclamation, took steps immediately, as required by the Constitution, to approve the declaration in the interest of peace and order in Rivers State. I also thank our traditional rulers and the good people of Rivers State for their support from the date of the declaration of the state of emergency until now.

I am not unaware that there were a few voices of dissent against the proclamation, which led to their instituting over 40 cases in the courts in Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Yenagoa, to invalidate the declaration. That is the way it should be in a democratic setting. Some cases are still pending in the courts as of today. But what needs to be said is that the power to declare a state of emergency is an inbuilt constitutional tool to address situations of actual or threatened breakdown of public order and public safety, which require extraordinary measures to return the State to peace, order and security.

READ ALSO:Lawyers Drag Tinubu To Court, Seek Emergency Rule In Zamfara

Considered objectively, we had reached that situation of total breakdown of public order and public safety in Rivers State, as shown in the judgment of the Supreme Court on the disputes between the Executive and the Legislative arm of Rivers State. It would have been a colossal failure on my part as President not to have made that proclamation.

As a stakeholder in democratic governance, I believe that the need for a harmonious existence and relationship between the executive and the legislature is key to a successful government, whether at the state or national level.

The people who voted us into power expect to reap the fruits of democracy. However, that expectation will remain unrealizable in an atmosphere of violence, anarchy, and insecurity borne by misguided political activism and Machiavellian manipulations among the stakeholders.

I am happy today that, from the intelligence available to me, 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. This is undoubtedly a welcome development for me and a remarkable achievement for us. I therefore do not see why the state of emergency should exist a day longer than the six months I had pronounced at the beginning of it.

READ ALSO:Rivers Emergency Rule: Why I Walked Out – Senator Dickson Opens Up On What Happened At Senate Close Section

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.

I thank you all.

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

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

Tinubu in a statement released on Wednesday by the Presidency, said the state of emergency, first proclaimed on March 18, 2025, was necessary to arrest the “total paralysis of governance” that had gripped Rivers at the time.

READ ALSO: Wike Gives Update On Rivers Emergency Rule Expires Date

He recalled that a bitter conflict between the governor and 27 lawmakers loyal to the House Speaker had left the state without a functioning government, with the Supreme Court even affirming in one of its rulings that “there was no government in Rivers State.”

“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,” he said.

More details later…

A coalition of 70 Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, on Monday, urged the National Assembly to summon the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (retd), to give an account of his stewardship in Rivers State for the past six months.

The groups, under the auspices of the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, said the call had become necessary, considering that the mandate handed to Ibas after the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara by President Bola Tinubu would expire by Thursday.

“This is very important, especially when you consider the fact that funds belonging to Rivers State which were initially seized by the Federal Government, were released to the Sole Administrator after he was appointed. There is need for accountability,” the CSOs insisted.

More so, the Situation Room, in a statement it issued to commemorate the 2025 International Day of Democracy, said it was worried that the nation is still grappling with systemic corruption.

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“Today is not just a day of reflection on the state of democracy in Nigeria but on the state of the nation and provides an opportunity to identify areas where improvements are needed.

“Nigeria is at a crucial juncture in its democratic journey, having marked 26 years of democratic rule this year, since the return to civil rule in 1999.

“In July 2025, the Situation Room released a report on the ‘Current State of Democracy in Nigeria’ where it noted that as at 2025, democracy in Nigeria still remains fragile, marked by institutional weaknesses, electoral distrust, and public disillusionment.

“Although some progress has been made, three fundamental principles that form the bedrock of democracy – cultural values, political leadership and the electoral process – are being confronted by systemic corruption, growing disillusionment and erosion of cultural values.

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“In addition, over the couple of months, we have seen systematic attempts to decimate political opposition and render our electoral process to be a choiceless ballot for the voters.

“These tactics include state-sponsored infiltration and destruction of other political parties, harassment of journalists and punitive targeting of civil society organisations to make it difficult for them to freely operate and determination to undermine the independence and autonomy of the election management body.

“The current State of the Economy presents some paradox – while the Government lauds itself for bold reforms including the removal of fuel subsidies, which freed up funds for State allocations, infrastructure development, and fiscal restructuring, challenges persist.

“The country continues to struggle with inflation, a weakened currency, rising debt, and widespread poverty, posing serious threats to economic stability.

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“The failure of our democracy to deliver dividends to citizens, the failing public service delivery, lack of social amenities in standard healthcare and education, expanding impunity as well as indiscipline in public finance management and accountability emphasises the strong link between democracy and poverty.

“The 2023 general elections, despite technological upgrades like the BVAS, were marred by logistical failures, voter suppression, lack of transparency in the election results transmission and judicial controversies.

“Concerns over judicial independence, suppression of dissent, and weakened democratic institutions remain prevalent.

“Situation Room continues to condemn the breach of the 1999 Constitution and the events that led to the declaration of the State of the Emergency in Rivers State.

“This is not good for our democracy; it shows Executive overreach and a troubling erosion of democratic norms despite calls from well-meaning Nigerians to stop the State of Emergency, ” the statement, which was jointly signed by the Convener of the CSOs, Yunusa Z. Ya’u, and two Co-Conveners, Franklin Oloniju and Mimidoo Achakpa, further read.