Rivers State people are expectant, ready to welcome back the suspended democratic government, after the expiration of the six-month emergency rule imposed on the state on September 18, 2025. Blessing Ibunge writes

President Bola Tinubu on March 18, 2025 declared a State of Emergency in Rivers State, following what he described as instability in the functioning of the State government as a result of conflict between the state Executive and Legislative arms. Announcing the emergency rule in a nationwide broadcast, President Tinubu suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the state deputy governor, Prof Ngozi Odu and State House of Assembly members led by the Speaker, Hon Martins Amaewhule.

The six-month emergency rule will expire on Thursday, while Rivers people and Nigerians are anxiously awaiting how the elected democratic government would continue to pilot the affairs of the State, after the change in administration, including the recently conducted local government council elections supervised by the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd).

For about six months in administrative government, Rivers State may have been calm politically, but the fact remains that things will no longer be as usual once the President revokes the emergency rule.

Expectations of Governor Fubara’s loyalists during the state saga, and emergency rule were not met, some of the supporters may have expressed disappointment after the supposed sacrifice backing the governor during the period of misunderstanding with his godfather, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike. Though the governor initially put up a fight for freedom of leadership, the Minister with the current development has proven to be in charge of the State, irrespective of President Tinubu’s involvement in settling the feud between the two groups.

What is expected of  Fubara upon return to office

At the conclusion of the recent LGA elections in the state, where the All Progressives Congress won 20 out of the 23 chairmanship seats in a Peoples Democratic Party controlled State, the FCT Minister and a PDP member, Mr. Nyesom Wike, hinted that with the recent successful conduct of the elections in the state, the coast was clear for the return of Fubara and the state lawmakers to power upon the expiration of the state of emergency.

Shortly after, the State Administrator, Ibas, also said he has successfully restored the democratic governance of Rivers State at the grassroots level. According to him, the peaceful conduct of the polls and the subsequent swearing-in of democratically elected Chairmen and Councillors across all 23 LGAs marked the direct fulfillment of the presidential directive issued to him on March 18, 2025.

His words: “Mr. President’s mandate to me was clear: to stabilize the state, create an enabling environment for the re-establishment of its institutions, and return Rivers State back to full democratic governance. With the successful conduct and swearing-in of local government chairmen and their councils, I believe we have decisively achieved the mandate that we were given”.

The local government election was not really competitive, as the candidates to fill the positions were alleged to have been selected, even before the election was conducted.

Again, during a thanksgiving service last Sunday, ahead of his exit from office, the Administrator appealed to Rivers people, especially the politicians to sheath their sword, rise above bitterness, rivalry and self -interest to pursue the greater good of the state. He noted that it was part of official events marking the state’s transition back to democratic governance.

“By God’s grace, and with the support of Mr. President and all of you, we have walked through those difficult days together. The survival and relative stability we enjoy today is a testimony of God’s faithfulness.

“The seeds of reconciliation have been planted. These seeds need your deliberate nurture to take roots. Our collective sacrifices and commitment to peace is what we must all strive to guide at this time. Truly it was God who kept Rivers State. This service is a solemn testimony of God’s faithfulness to Rivers State.  We have survived storms political, social, economic, and through it all, God has been faithful”, the Administrator stated.

Not knowing how the governor would run his remaining less than two years in office, Rivers State people, including politicians, civil society groups, are however demanding accountability in how the resources of the State were spent in the last six months. While some that spoke with THISDAY wanted the governor to continue with the peace already established, some alleged that the purpose of the suspension of democratic rule was targeted at the state resources.

Chairman of the Rivers State Civil Society Organisation, Enefaa Georgewill, who insisted that the emergency rule was illegal, said it is expected that the governor once back to office should investigate the financial record of the state.

“It is our position that the elected governor will be returned on September 18. We will be expecting him to immediately investigate the financial record of Rivers State within these six months.

“A high-level powered committee should be set up to give us a run through of the resources of Rivers State because we had elected the governor, and unfortunately a quasi-military succession was appointed. We expected that the person we had elected will make sure that he uses an independent panel to investigate how our resources have gone down within this period.

“We noticed that almost all the projects that were going on in the State simultaneously; the major roads, ring road which is the flash ship project of this administration, and several other projects like the Civil Servants quarters for low-income earners and so many other projects all stopped. Meanwhile, the resources for both internally generated and from internal sources like the federal government kept on coming. We suspect that there will be financial misappropriation, even if the so-called House of Assembly has not been completed.

“We equally want the governor to stand firm and represent Rivers people. For us to think that he is neither here nor there wouldn’t help the situation. As a governor, he should make sure that he carries everybody along”, he stated.

On his part, a prominent chieftain of the APC in the state, Chief Eze Chukwuemka, who noted that going by the president’s declaration, the emergency will be ended on September 18, said “Let us just pray that the characters involved knowing how untrustworthy they are will honour this set date by lifting the atrocious State of emergency”.

He alleged that the reasons for the declaration was to “plunder and loot the treasure of Rivers State; to humiliate the State and her people by taking over illegally the political structure(s) of the State.”

The APC chief who spoke with our correspondent in Port Harcourt, said: “Most importantly, the aim of the emergency rule was to ensure that Rivers State doesn’t progress ahead of Lagos State by destroying her economic base and the speed in which Governor Sim Fubara was driving the State progressively. A son of Rivers State is used as a tool to accomplish these illegalities and wickedness against the State. The future will determine if the people of Rivers State accept these attempts to undermine the progress of the State by doing their best to reclaim the State from these undemocratic and unprincipled fellows.

“Imagine a situation where the multinationals that harness the oil in the Niger Delta are headquartered in Lagos. All the benefits from the oil exploration viz- tax, employment etc, go to Lagos while the Niger Deltans suffer the exploitation. So, in order to firm-up the grip of Lagos on the huge oil revenue, there has to be perpetual destabilization of the Niger Delta region, particularly, Rivers State. This is so because they do not want Rivers State economy to compete with Lagos.

“While he served as Governor, Rotimi Amaechi gave Lagos a serious chase, and Rivers was almost at par with Lagos in all spheres. Governor Fubara’s commitment to revive investment in infrastructure and build an enabling environment for businesses threatened Tinubu and Lagos. That is why the President didn’t think twice; didn’t look at the laws of the country; didn’t consider the dangers, the criticisms that may come with the unlawful suspension of the Governor. Fubara’s performance was a threat.

Eze regretted that “All through the six months period that the Administrator held sway, the wheel of progress was grounded. Everything came to a halt. No project was initiated. None was completed. None proceeded beyond the level it was when the Governor was unlawfully suspended. And no one is asking questions on the whereabouts of Rivers’ money. The state money was looted dry. That was the mandated”.

He wondered “How can a man who said he was sent to make peace turn around to support a faction in the crisis? Giving them appointments here and there even when such indulgences clearly offend extant laws. Conducting local council elections without having the powers to do so. It’s unfortunate we find ourselves here”.

Another CSO, Defense for Human Rights and Democracy (DHRD), is demanding detailed account of stewardship from the out- going  Administration in the State. In a statement signed by the National Chairman of the group, Clifford Solomon, said Ibas should use the remaining days left to give a blow-to-blow account of what was received from the Federal Allocation, Internally Generated Revenue and other sundry funds that come to the  state and how it was expended. “It is also very imperative for the Sole Administrator to tell Rivers people projects executed, completed, ongoing and commissioned in the six months of his reign”.

As Governor Fubara returns to office, the questions remain, will he mend fences and build alliance with his political rivals, especially the House Assembly members?

Is he going to sustain the good relationship he had with his supporters during the turbulent period, especially now that he is in good terms with his godfather, Wike? Is he also going to reconstitute the appointments and heads of parastatals made by the administrator?

The post Mixed Feelings as Rivers’ Six-month Emergency Rule Ends Thursday appeared first on THISDAYLIVE.

​