(DDM) – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced the reinstatement of Governor Siminalayi Fubara as the elected leader of Rivers State.
Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that the declaration was made in Abuja today, with Tinubu confirming that the suspension of Fubara’s administration officially ends at midnight, September 17, 2025.
In his address, the President noted that the earlier state of emergency declared in Rivers State was necessary to halt what he described as “a total paralysis of governance.”
Tinubu recalled that political hostilities between Governor Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly had crippled governance, leaving vital economic activities and legislative processes at a standstill.
He explained that four lawmakers had aligned with the Governor, while 27 others backed the Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, resulting in an unprecedented constitutional deadlock.
According to the President, the crisis escalated to the point where even the Supreme Court ruled that there was effectively no functioning government in Rivers State.
Efforts by Tinubu and other national leaders to broker peace between the factions failed, forcing the President to invoke Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers him to declare a state of emergency.
That emergency suspended the offices of the Governor, Deputy Governor, and the State Assembly for six months beginning March 18, 2025.
Tinubu said the measure was painful but unavoidable, warning that failing to act would have led to chaos and further insecurity in one of Nigeria’s most strategic oil-producing states.
During the emergency period, Rivers State institutions were effectively frozen, with political activities overshadowed by court cases filed in Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Yenagoa challenging the President’s proclamation.
Despite over 40 suits contesting the decision, Tinubu maintained that the constitutional provision was the only way to restore order in the state.
In his latest broadcast, the President expressed satisfaction that political stakeholders in Rivers have now demonstrated “a new spirit of understanding” and readiness to work together in harmony.
Tinubu declared that the emergency would end immediately, restoring Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Nma Odu, Speaker Martins Amaewhule, and all legislators to their offices.
The President urged both state and national leaders to embrace cooperation between the executive and legislature, stressing that democracy cannot deliver dividends in an atmosphere of violence and anarchy.
He appealed to governors and assemblies across Nigeria to draw lessons from Rivers State and prioritize peace, stability, and service delivery to citizens.
Political analysts view the reinstatement as a major political reset in Rivers, a state long considered a hotbed of power struggles and oil revenue battles.
The development could reshape alliances within the South-South, where Fubara’s political survival and Tinubu’s firm intervention will remain subjects of heated national debate.
Observers say the President’s move is not only constitutional but also strategic, sending a message that Abuja will not tolerate prolonged governance breakdowns in any part of the country.
For Rivers people, however, the end of emergency rule signals a return to civil authority, though questions linger over whether the fragile truce among warring factions will last.