BREAKING: With Wike Unable to Unseat Fubara, Tinubu Declares State of Emergency in Peaceful Rivers State

President Bola Tinubu has declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the state House of Assembly for six months.

This is following his declaration of emergency in the peaceful oil-rich South-South State that has not witnessed anything close to the situation in the North-East and Middlebelt.

The President made the declaration in a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, apparently after his ally, Nyesom Wike met vehement frustration in multifarious attempts at unseating the State Governor.

He said the decision was taken to restore stability in the state that has been witnessing political turmoil as a result of the disagreement between the state governor and the state lawmakers.

“By this declaration, the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs. Ngozi Odu and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State are hereby suspended for an initial period of six months,” the President declared.

The President appointed a former Chief of Naval Staff, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas, who is rumoured to be an ally of Wike, as the state’s administrator to oversee governance.

“In the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (retd.) 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,” he said.

Citing Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, Tinubu said the emergency measure was necessary to restore peace.

He added that the proclamation had been published in the Federal Gazette and forwarded to the National Assembly.

Tinubu added, “This declaration has been published in the Federal Gazette, a copy of which has been forwarded to the National Assembly in accordance with the Constitution.

“It is my fervent hope that this inevitable intervention will help to restore peace and order in Rivers State by awakening all the contenders to the constitutional imperatives binding on all political players in Rivers State in particular and Nigeria as a whole.”