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BREAKING: Tinubu declares State of Emergency in Rivers (FULL TEXT)
…appointments Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd) as Administrator
President Bola Tinubu has declared a state of emergency in Rivers State following the protracted political crisis in the state.
Tinubu made the proclamation during a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy and all the members of the House of Assembly for six months.
Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution interprets a state of emergency as a situation of national danger or disaster in which a government suspends normal constitutional procedures to regain control.
A state of emergency allows the President to immediately make any desired regulations to secure public order and safety.
TEXT OF THE BROADCAST BY PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES, DECLARING STATE OF EMERGENCY IN RIVERS STATE ON TUESDAY 18 MARCH 2025
Fellow Nigerians, I feel greatly disturbed at the turn we have come to regarding the political crisis in Rivers State. Like many of you, I have watched with concern the development with the hope that the parties involved would allow good sense to prevail at the soonest, but all that hope burned out without any solution to the crisis.
With the crisis persisting, there is no way democratic governance, which we have all fought and worked for over the years, can thrive in a way that will redound to the benefit of the good people of the state. The state has been at a standstill since the crisis started, with the good people of the state not being able to have access to the dividends of democracy.
Also, it is public knowledge that the Governor of Rivers State for unjustifiable reasons, demolished the House of Assembly of the state as far back as 13th December 2023 and has, up until now, fourteen (14) months after, not rebuilt same. I have made personal interventions between the contending parties for a peaceful resolution of the crisis, but my efforts have been largely ignored by the parties to the crisis. I am also aware that many well-meaning Nigerians, Leaders of thought and Patriotic groups have also intervened at various times with the best of intentions to resolve the matter, but all their efforts were also to no avail. Still, I thank them.
On February 28, 2025, the supreme court, in a judgment in respect of about eight consolidated appeals concerning the political crisis in Rivers State, based on several grave unconstitutional acts and disregard of rule of law that have been committed by the Governor of Rivers State as shown by the evidence before it pronounced in very clear terms:
“a government cannot be said to exist without one of the three arms that make up the government of a state under the 1999 Constitution as amended. In this case the head of the executive arm of the government has chosen to collapse the legislature to enable him to govern without the legislature as a despot. As it is there is no government in Rivers State.”
The above pronouncement came after a catalogue of judicial findings of constitutional breaches against the Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Going Forward in their judgment, and having found and held that 27 members of the House who had allegedly defected
“are still valid members of Rivers State House of Assembly and cannot be prevented from participating in the proceedings of that House by the 8th Respondent (that is, the Governor) in cohorts with four members”
The Supreme Court then made some orders to restore the state to immediate constitutional democracy. These orders include the immediate passing of an Appropriation Bill by the Rivers State House of Assembly which up till now has not been facilitated.
Some militants had threatened fire and brimstone against their perceived enemy of the governor who has up till now NOT disowned them.
Apart from that both the House and the governor have not been able to work together.
Both of them do not realise that they are in office to work together for the peace and good governance of the state.
The latest security reports made available to me show that between yesterday and today there have been disturbing incidents of vandalization of pipelines by some militant without the governor taking any action to curtail them. I have, of course given stern order to the security agencies to ensure safety of lives of the good people of Rivers State and the oil pipelines.
With all these and many more, no good and responsible President will standby and allow the grave situation to continue without taking remedial steps prescribed by the Constitution to address the situation in the state, which no doubt requires extraordinary measures to restore good governance, peace, order and security.
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.
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.
In the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd) 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 Administrator will not make any new laws. He will, however, be free to formulate regulations as may be found necessary to do his job, but such regulations will need to be considered and approved by the Federal Executive Council and promulgated by the President for the state.
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.
Long live a united, peaceful, secure and democratic Rivers State in particular and the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a whole.
More to follow…
President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja on Thursday, October 29, for Makkah, Saudi Arabia, to perform Umrah, an Islamic pilgrimage involving religious rites in the holy city.
The President’s visit will provide an opportunity for spiritual reflection and prayers for Nigeria’s peace, unity, stability and continued progress.
His Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
According to Onanuga, Tinubu will seek Allah’s guidance and blessings for Nigeria and its people during the spiritual exercise.
“While in Makkah, President Tinubu will perform the religious rites associated with Umrah, seeking Allah’s guidance and blessings for Nigeria and its people,” the statement read.
Before departing Abuja, the President is scheduled to commission equipment acquired by the Nigerian Air Force for its operations.
The commissioning will take place at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Onanuga said Tinubu was expected to return to Nigeria next week after completing the religious exercise.
Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah that can be undertaken at any time of the year, unlike Hajj, which takes place during a specific period on the Islamic calendar.
…Warns Opposition Against Defamation
Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, has dismissed as false a viral social media allegation that he ordered a political party to be denied access to a private facility for its town hall meeting, warning opposition figures against making defamatory statements.
Mbah, in a statement issued in response to the circulating video, described the allegation as “preposterous and utter falsehood,” insisting that he neither issued such a directive nor had any involvement in preventing the party from using the facility.
The controversy followed the circulation of a video on social media alleging that the governor directed the management of Amadeo Event Centre, a private facility, to deny a political party the use of its premises for a town hall meeting.
Reacting to the allegation, the governor said his attention had been drawn to the video, which he described as an attempt by the opposition to mislead the public and attract attention.
“My attention has just been drawn to a video circulating on some social media platforms, alleging that I gave an order denying a political party use of a private facility for their town hall event. This is preposterous and utter falsehood, because I did not,” he said.
Mbah further accused the opposition of relying on what he described as propaganda and falsehood rather than presenting substantive issues to the electorate.
“This is shameful and reveals a desperate pattern adopted by the opposition to attract attention,” the governor stated.
He emphasised that although freedom of expression was a fundamental feature of democracy, it should not be used as justification for making defamatory allegations against individuals.
“There’s no doubt that democracy guarantees freedom of expression. It should be noted, however, that it does not grant anyone the right to defamation,” he said.
The governor also maintained that democratic institutions provide avenues for individuals and groups to seek redress when they believe they have been wronged, rather than resorting to statements capable of damaging the reputation of others.
“Democracy also offers avenues to seek redress. So, let it be known that there are redlines that should never be crossed,” he added.
The statement’s accompanying commentary questioned why Mbah would interfere in the operations of a private establishment, stressing that Amadeo Event Centre was not a government-owned facility.
It also accused opposition figures of making allegations against the governor to gain public attention, insisting that the claims were politically motivated.
The development comes amid political activities in Enugu State, where opposition parties and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) continue to engage in political campaigns and public debates ahead of future electoral contests.
Suspected bandits have abducted 29 women and a male child during attacks on four communities in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State, with 11 of the female victims reportedly escaping from captivity.
The affected communities are Kwimo, Kalgo, Kakaki and Mabona.
The latest development was disclosed in an operational update by the Nigeria Police Force covering security operations across several states between October 27 and 28, 2026.
According to the report, the 11 women escaped from their abductors’ hideout following sustained tactical pressure from police operatives.
Security personnel are continuing efforts to secure the release of the remaining victims and apprehend those responsible for the abduction. The State Criminal Investigation Department in Minna is investigating the incident.
A resident, Mohammed Ibrahim, said a joint security team led by operatives of the Bangi Police Division immediately launched a pursuit of the attackers after the incident.
He said the security operatives tracked the assailants, leading to efforts to rescue the abducted residents.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Niger State Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, also confirmed the attack and the ensuing security operation.
Mariga Local Government Area has experienced repeated attacks and kidnappings in recent months, raising concerns over the safety of residents, particularly those in rural communities.
In September, suspected bandits abducted dozens of farmers, most of them women, while they were harvesting groundnuts in the area. The police confirmed that more than 20 people were abducted, while the local government chairman put the figure at 47.
The recurring attacks have heightened concerns about the security of farming communities and the impact of kidnappings on residents’ livelihoods.
As of the latest available report, efforts were ongoing to rescue the remaining victims of the latest abduction.
The status of the male child and the exact number of victims still in captivity had not been independently established in the reports reviewed.
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