Rivers State Begins Transition as Fubara Returns After Emergency Rule
The Rivers State Government has announced the commencement of activities marking its transition from emergency rule back to democratic governance, following the return of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
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According to a statement issued on Saturday by the Secretary to the State Government, Ibibia Worika, an inter-denominational church thanksgiving service will hold on Sunday, September 14, at the Ecumenical Centre, Abonima Wharf Road, Port Harcourt. The event is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m., with all invited guests expected to be seated by 9:30 a.m.
Those expected at the service include permanent secretaries, local government chairmen, heads of security and paramilitary agencies, traditional rulers, board chairmen and members, captains of industry, and other stakeholders. The state administrator during the emergency period, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), will serve as Special Guest of Honour.
President Bola Tinubu had declared a state of emergency in Rivers on March 18, 2025, suspending Governor Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and the state House of Assembly for six months. The decision followed protracted political conflict between Fubara and his predecessor, Minister of the FCT Nyesom Wike, alongside security threats and allegations of governance paralysis.
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Tinubu subsequently appointed Ibas as sole administrator of the state, while judicial institutions continued to function. The Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, defended the move as necessary to prevent collapse of governance and restore constitutional order, citing a Supreme Court ruling that criticised the crisis as evidence of “no functioning government” in Rivers.
The thanksgiving service signals the beginning of a full transition process, with Governor Fubara resuming office and democratic structures set to return.