President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared a State of Emergency in Rivers State on March 18, escalating what began as a political standoff into a full-blown constitutional crisis. The President has also imposed an initial six-month suspension on the state’s governor, Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, citing a breakdown in administration, risks to national security, and a concerning increase in violence and vandalism. In their place, he appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas as interim administrator, effectively placing the state under federal control.
Hours after the declaration, military forces took control of the Government House in Port Harcourt, effectively marking a dramatic turning point in Nigeria’s democratic journey. Tinubu addressed the nation with a somber tone, expressing deep concern over the festering political impasse that had paralyzed governance in Rivers State. He described the state as having reached a tipping point, with government functions stalled, oil pipelines vandalized, and militant activity on the rise. Given the economic importance of the state’s oil infrastructure, he said that the growing lawlessness and Security void in the state pose a national threat.
Fubara-Wike rivalry sparks the Rivers political unrest.
At the epicenter of the crisis is the bitter power struggle between Governor Fubara and lawmakers loyal to former Governor Nyesom Wike. In a bid to assert control, Fubara had presented the state budget to just four lawmakers loyal to him after the Assembly complex was demolished in December 2023. The demolition, Tinubu said, was unjustified and never reversed—a clear sign that Fubara had no intention of restoring the legislative arm of government. The matter reached the Supreme Court, which delivered a damning verdict on February 28, 2025.
The court declared Fubara’s administration to be unconstitutional and autocratic, ruling that his acts amounted to a willful breakdown of the state’s legislative arm. The ruling ordered the immediate restoration of legislative operations and upheld the validity of the 27 legislators who had been previously sidelined. The president referenced this ruling in his address, adding that efforts at mediation by himself and other national stakeholders had failed, leaving him with no option but to invoke Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution to restore order and governance.
Public reactions and controversy followed the declaration.
In his address, Tinubu cited new intelligence suggesting that extremists had started attacking oil infrastructure, citing two Pipeline explosions in just 24 hours. He said that despite threats made in his name by radicals, the governor did nothing to stop the carnage. The president noted that Fubara had neither denounced the threats nor condemned the group causing the turmoil, despite the escalating tension. He claimed to have given the military and security services orders to safeguard people and property. “No good and responsible president will stand by and allow the grave situation to continue,” he declared.
Reactions to the emergency declaration have been swift and polarized. In a widely shared Social Media video, Governor Fubara called for composure but alluded to possible resistance. “In as much as I don’t subscribe to violence, when the time comes for us to make a decision, I will lead the cause for that decision,” he said. The remark, followed almost immediately by another pipeline explosion, has fueled speculation about the true nature and depth of the crisis. The declaration, however, has sparked a firestorm of controversy among the general public.
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Critics accuse the president of overreaching his constitutional powers. The suspension of elected officials was denounced as undemocratic and a risky precedent by the Nigerian Bar Association. Some Nigerians, including prominent political figures such as Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, have also expressed their disdain. As Rivers State adjusts to the reality of federal control, questions linger about what the next six months will bring. Will this intervention restore stability, or will it ignite new tensions in a region already fraught with political and economic sensitivities? For now, the attention of the nation remains fixed on Rivers—a state at the epicenter of Nigeria’s most high-stakes political drama in years.