Supporters of the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, are eagerly awaiting his return from London, a week to the end of the initial six-month emergency rule imposed by President Bola Tinubu.
A decent source told The Guardian that President Bola Tinubu may have settled for October 1st Independence Day to reinstate the embattled Governor after he broke the truce in June.
Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State on March 18, 2025, citing prolonged political instability, constitutional breaches, and security threats as reasons for the extraordinary measure. This followed an emergency meeting with security and intelligence chiefs at the Aso Rock Villa earlier that day.
Vice Admiral Ibok-Étè Ibas (retd.) was appointed as the sole administrator to oversee the state’s affairs until normalcy is restored. Ibas served as Chief of Naval Staff from 2015 to 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Rivers crisis, he said, paralysed governance in the oil-rich state. It was the high point of a months-long power tussle between Fubara and Wike.
An explosion rocked a section of the Trans Niger Pipeline in the Bodo Community of Gonna Local Government Area in Rivers State, a day before Tinubu imposed emergency rule. Another explosion severed a pipeline manifold in the Omwawriwa axis of Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area of the State, the next day.
The President expressed concern over vandalism by militants, allegedly acting in support of Fubara. The incidents occurred amid frantic efforts by the Tinubu administration to increase Nigeria’s lagging crude oil output and curb leaks.
The Rivers political turmoil escalated in December 2023 after Fubara demolished the state’s House of Assembly complex, leading to a prolonged battle over the legitimacy of the legislative arm. It worsened when 27 lawmakers loyal to Wike defected from the PDP to the APC, prompting legal disputes over their status.
On February 28, 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that the lawmakers remained valid members of the Assembly. It also faulted Fubara’s actions as being unconstitutional and despotic.
The verdict noted that the state had collapsed into one-man rule due to the absence of a functioning legislature. Despite the ruling, governance remained stalled, with the executive and legislature at loggerheads. As of March 2025, the state’s annual Appropriation Bill had not been passed.
