President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced the end of the six-month state of emergency in Rivers State, declaring that Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly will resume their constitutional duties on September 18, 2025.

In a national address on Wednesday, the President recalled that he invoked Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution in March to suspend democratic institutions in the state following a political crisis that left governance at a standstill. At the height of the conflict, the Governor and the House of Assembly were deeply divided, leading to the inability to pass an Appropriation Bill. Even the Supreme Court ruled at the time that there was “no government” in Rivers State.

Tinubu said the declaration, though controversial, was necessary to avert anarchy and protect critical economic assets, including oil pipelines, from vandalism. “It would have been a colossal failure on my part as President not to have made that proclamation,” he stated, while thanking the National Assembly, traditional rulers, and the people of Rivers for their support.

The President expressed confidence that stakeholders in the state had now embraced “a new spirit of understanding and readiness” to return to democratic governance, insisting that the emergency should not last “a day longer than the six months” initially approved.

Tinubu also used the occasion to caution Governors and State Assemblies nationwide to ensure harmony between the executive and legislature, stressing that peace, order, and good governance were essential to delivering the dividends of democracy.