Tinubu declares state of emergency in Rivers, suspends Fubara, deputy

President Bola Tinubu Tuesday declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Oduand and all elected lawmakers of the state House of Assembly for an initial period of six months.

Mr Tinubu, who issued the declaration in a national broadcast Tuesday night, appointed Ibokette Ibas, a retired vice admiral, 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 president said.

Mr Tinubu cited as the basis for his action “the disturbing” violence in the state in the last 24 hours, including explosions and vandalisation of petroleum pipelines linked to the political crises in the state.

It comes a day after the 26 lawmakers in the state, served a notice of gross misconduct on Governor Siminalayi Fubara, kickstarting the process of removing him from office.

The state has seen increased turmoil since the notice signed by 26 members of the 32-member House of Assembly, who are loyal to Nyesom Wike, a former governor of the state and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory in Mr Tinubu’s cabinet, was served on the governor on Monday.

The development signals intensifying political battle between Mr Wike and Governor Fubara.

An explosion rocked a section of the Trans Niger Pipeline in Bodo Community in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State on Monday night.

While Mr Tinubu blamed the violence on the political actors in the state, he singled out Governor Fubara for criticism for his failure to take steps to address the situation.

He also echoed aspects of the Supreme Court’s recent decisions, accusing the governor of frantically working to collapse the state’s legislature.

 

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The president said, “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.”

Mr Tinubu’s suspension of elected officials in the state on the basis of state of emergency is a trend Nigeria broke with during President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

Then Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, successfully convinced President Jonathan not to remove the governors of North-east states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa when Mr Jonathan declared a state of emergency in the states in 2013 due to intense and escalating activities of Boko Haram.

Before then, then President Olusegun Obasanjo, in 2006, declared a state of emergency in Ekiti State to resolve a political crisis following the impeachment of the state governor.