Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has called on the state to embrace the lifting of the state of emergency and the return of democratic governance in the state, as a moment of fresh beginning.
Fubara made the call yesterday in his first state-wide broadcast after the lifting of the emergency rule in the state by President Bola Tinubu.
“Accordingly, let us, therefore, embrace this moment as a fresh beginning. Let us work together with renewed hope and determination to build a stronger, more peaceful, and prosperous Rivers State.
‘‘I assure you that we will continuously work towards ensuring that we carry everyone along. Despite the turbulence, you are aware of the credible milestones our administration achieved in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and other key sectors over the last two years,” he said.
The governor stated that the responsibility now rests on the executive and legislative arms of government and stakeholders to put their differences behind and work for the common good of the state.
Fubara said: “We believe the political crisis is now behind us, and that peace and stability have once again returned to Rivers State, though not without the hard lessons learned from the emergency rule.
‘‘The responsibility now rests squarely on us: the Government, the State House of Assembly, political leaders, and stakeholders to put aside our differences, work for the common good, and advance the interests of our people above all else. We have a duty to ensure that the peace we have all embraced remains permanent in our dear Rivers State.”
The governor stated that in the course of the six-month state of emergency, it has been enormously challenging for the state and its people. “It is without doubt that the last six months have been enormously challenging for our dear State under the emergency rule.
‘‘As your governor, I accepted to abide by the state of emergency declaration and chose to cooperate with Mr. President and the National Assembly, guided by my conviction that no sacrifice was too great to secure peace, stability, and progress of Rivers State.
‘‘This was why I also resisted the pressure to challenge the constitutionality of the declaration of a state of emergency, the suspension of democratic institutions, and all other actions that we endured during this difficult period,” he said.
Fubara thanked President Tinubu, the leadership of the National Assembly, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, for making the peace process possible.
The governor said: “In the course of the six months, Mr. President graciously brokered the peace process with all the parties successfully. Our Leader, His Excellency, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, CON, all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, and I, as your Governor, have all accepted to bury the hatchet and embrace peace and reconciliation in the best interest of our dear Rivers State.
“Once again, I thank and appreciate our Father, Mr. President, His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, for his timely intervention and dedication to ensuring the restoration of peace and stability in our State. I also thank our Leader, His Excellency Nyesom Ezenwo Wike CON, the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, for committing to the prompt resolution of the political impasse in the State.
‘‘I also wish to express my profound thanks to the President of the Senate, His Excellency Senator Godswill Akpabio; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, His Excellency Dr. Abbas Tajudeen; and the distinguished members of the National Assembly for the role they all played in the resolution of the matter.”
Fubara stated that the immediate responsibility of his administration is to return to the path of governance and development of the state by completing the projects started by his administration.
“Our immediate responsibility is to return to the path of governance and development by completing the projects which we started by ensuring none of them is starved of funds or neglected, thereby reviving our economy, protecting lives and property, and improving the well-being of all Rivers people.
‘‘I commit to working harmoniously with the Rivers State House of Assembly to recover lost grounds and accelerate the social and economic advancement of our dear State. I also renew my pledge to serve with the fear of God, humility, and a high sense of duty,” he said.
Fubara had landed in Port Harcourt on Friday afternoon, more than 48 hours after the President lifted the state of emergency in the state, after keeping his supporters, who had gathered at the Government House gate, Port Harcourt, in suspense on Thursday.
The aircraft carrying the governor, who was accompanied by his wife, Lady Valer, and his Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie, touched down at the local wing of the Port Harcourt International Airport, where he was received by his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu, and thousands of supporters who had gathered at the airport as early as 6:00 a.m. on Friday.
However, LEADERSHIP Weekend observed that apart from the Chairman of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, Barrister James James, no other LGA chairman was at the airport to receive the governor. Also, members of the Rivers State House of Assembly were absent during the airport reception for the governor.
Meanwhile, former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Onueze Okocha, has advised Governor Siminalayi Fubara to put the period of emergency rule behind him and focus on governance. Okocha, in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, urged the governor not to bear grudges against anyone but to concentrate on delivering good leadership to the people of the state. The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who called on Fubara and the State House of Assembly to work together in the interest of the state, appealed for unity among political stakeholders to ensure peace and progress in the state.
Meanwhile, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has described as hasty the demand by members of the State House of Assembly to present a list of his commissioner-nominees for screening, as well as the presentation of a new Appropriation Bill before the House.
Eze, in a statement made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt, said it is too early for the lawmakers to interfere in the affairs of the executive arm of government, pointing out that such a demand clearly signals a categorical invitation to another regime of crisis.
He said: “It is surprising that the Rivers State House of Assembly is placing this demand on the Governor at a time when the people expected them to have a moment of quiet reflection, like the governor, on the avalanche of sabotage that has wrecked the common patrimony of Rivers people by strangers installed to plunder the common wealth and chart a new course for a holistic recovery through genuine reconciliation for the progress of the state.”
Why the Supreme Court Didn’t Hear 11 Governors’ Suit
In the meantime, facts have emerged on why the Supreme Court did not hear the case filed against President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a State of Emergency rule in Rivers State.
Following the political crisis in Rivers, President Tinubu suspended democratic institutions in the state and imposed a Sole Administrator to run the state for six months.
Shortly after the Emergency Rule was imposed, 11 governors of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) approached the Apex Court to challenge the president’s decision.
Precisely, on April 9, 2025, about three weeks after the governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, was suspended from office, the governors filed the suit before the court.
A source in the Apex Court told LEADERSHIP Weekend that no law says the case was time-bound. According to the source, there is also negligence on the part of the plaintiffs in the matter. He accused them of not diligently pursuing the case to a logical conclusion.
He said, “There is no law that says the case is time-bound. Secondly, those who filed the case abandoned it. Some of them have even defected to another political party. If they follow the process, the case may not be heard in the next one or two years because many pending cases also require urgent attention.”
The Director of Information in the Court, Dr. Festus Akande, said the inability of the Court to hear the matter could be a result of the fact that the annual vacation of the court was near.
“I don’t know why it was not heard; I can’t talk on that matter, but it could be as a result of the fact that the annual vacation of the court was near,” he said.
Eleven governors of the Peoples Democratic Party had approached the Supreme Court challenging what powers President Tinubu has to suspend a democratically elected structure of a state.
The suit filed by the governors also challenged the declaration of a state of emergency rule in the state.
President Bola Tinubu had declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended Governor Fubara, the state deputy governor, Mrs. Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for an initial period of six months.
Following the suspension, President Tinubu appointed Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (retd.) as the sole administrator to oversee the affairs of Rivers State pending the period of the suspension.
The governors, in the suit marked SC/CV/329/2025, predicated the summons on eight grounds. The plaintiffs in the suit are Adamawa, Enugu, Osun, Oyo, Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Delta, Taraba, Zamfara, and Bayelsa states.
The plaintiffs urged the Supreme Court to determine if the President had the power to suspend a democratically elected structure of a state. They also asked the apex court to determine if the way and manner the President pronounced the state of emergency declaration in Rivers State was not in contravention of the 1999 Constitution.
Among others, all the eleven governors in the suit, filed the suits through their state Attorney Generals, prayed the court to determine the following: “Whether upon a proper construction and interpretation of the provisions of Sections 1(2), 5(2), 176, 180, 188, and 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria can lawfully suspend or in any manner whatsoever interfere with the offices of a Governor and the Deputy Governor of any of the component 36 States of the Federation of Nigeria and replace same with his own unelected nominee as a Sole Administrator, under the guise of, or pursuant to, a Proclamation of a State of Emergency in any of the States of the Federation, particularly in any of the Plaintiffs’ States?
