President Bola Tinubu has announced the cessation of the state of emergency in Rivers State, six months after it was declared to halt what he described as a “total paralysis of governance” in the oil-rich South-South state
.The President, in a national broadcast on Tuesday, recalled that the emergency became necessary on March 18, 2025, after deep political divisions between the Governor and the State House of Assembly escalated into a constitutional stalemate.
The legislature had splintered into two rival groups — four lawmakers aligned with the Governor and 27 others who backed the Speaker. The resulting hostility, according to Tinubu, crippled governance, derailed the passage of an Appropriation Bill, and threatened the stability of critical economic assets, including oil pipelines.
“Even the Supreme Court, in one of its judgments on the disputes between the Executive and the Legislature, held that there was no government in Rivers State,” the President said, adding that repeated interventions by him and other national stakeholders to reconcile the warring factions had “proved abortive.”
Tinubu stressed that his decision to invoke Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution was not taken lightly but became unavoidable to prevent a descent into anarchy. “It would have been a colossal failure on my part as President not to have made that proclamation,” he maintained.
The proclamation led to the suspension of the Governor, Deputy Governor, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for an initial six-month period, which expired on Tuesday.
The President expressed appreciation to the National Assembly for swiftly endorsing the proclamation, in line with constitutional provisions. He also thanked traditional rulers, civic leaders, and residents of Rivers State for their support and resilience during the period of emergency rule.
“I am not unaware that there were a few voices of dissent against the proclamation, which led to over 40 cases being filed in Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Yenagoa,” Tinubu said.
“That is the way it should be in a democratic setting. But the power to declare a state of emergency is an inbuilt constitutional tool to address actual or threatened breakdowns of public order and safety. Considered objectively, we had reached that situation in Rivers State.”
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the lifting of the emergency as a landmark moment that underscores Tinubu’s dedication to protecting democracy and restoring stability.
“The President acted with courage when peace and governance in Rivers State hung in the balance. Ending the state of emergency today demonstrates his commitment to ensuring political disagreements never hold citizens hostage,” Onanuga said.
Looking ahead, Tinubu urged political actors in Rivers State to put aside hostilities and prioritize service to the people. “As stakeholders in democratic governance, we must accept that harmony between the executive and the legislature is key to any successful government.
The people who voted us into power expect to reap the fruits of democracy. That expectation will remain unrealizable in an atmosphere of violence, anarchy, and insecurity borne by misguided political activism and Machiavellian manipulations,” he cautioned.
With the suspension lifted, governance in Rivers State is expected to resume fully, even as some legal challenges over the emergency declaration remain pending in the courts. The President, however, reiterated that the ultimate goal of the intervention was the restoration of order and a foundation for durable peace.
