President Bola Tinubu has declared a state of emergency in Rivers State in response to the prolonged political crisis gripping the region.
In a nationwide address on Tuesday, Tinubu announced the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all members of the State House of Assembly for six months. To oversee the state’s affairs during this period, he appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas as military administrator.
The president invoked Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, which grants him the authority to declare a state of emergency in situations of national danger or disaster.
Tinubu said, “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 militant without the governor taking any action to curtail them. I have, of course given stern order to the security agencies to ensure safety of lives of the good people of Rivers State and the oil pipelines.
“With all these and many more, no good and responsible President will standby 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
“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.
“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.
“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. 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.
“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.”
This move allows him to implement immediate measures aimed at restoring public order and stability.
For the past two months, the state has been embroiled in a fierce political struggle between Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and his former protégé, Governor Fubara, over control of the state’s political structure. The crisis has escalated, with reports of pipeline explosions and growing unrest among civil servants, who have threatened mass protests against the faction led by Martins Amaewhule in the House of Assembly, loyal to Wike.
With tensions at an all-time high, Tinubu’s intervention aims to restore stability in the oil-rich state,
