Fubara Set to Return as Rivers Governor as Emergency Rule Extension Plot Collapses

Suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, will officially return to office on September 18, 2025, after moves to prolong the six-month emergency rule in the state collapsed, PulseNets has learnt.

This turning point followed a closed-door session last Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the state’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas (retd.).

Tinubu Orders Full Financial Handover

Sources who spoke to PulseNets disclosed that President Tinubu directed Ibas to compile a detailed handover note. The report must contain the funds Ibas inherited from Fubara, all revenues generated during the emergency rule, a breakdown of expenditures, and an updated list of ongoing projects. The directive, obtained by PulseNets, also mandates that the document be ready before Ibas concludes his 10-day vacation.

This presidential order effectively ended lobbying efforts in the National Assembly where some lawmakers had pressed for an additional three months of emergency governance. Their argument, PulseNets reported, was anchored on completing critical projects such as the reconstruction of the demolished Rivers State House of Assembly complex, the ongoing workers’ verification exercise, and the installation of sensitive government equipment.

Wike and Rivers APC Insist on September 18 Return

However, the extension bid was fiercely resisted by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, who maintained that the emergency rule must terminate on September 18. During the August 30 local government elections, Wike declared that both the governor and the state House of Assembly were “ready to resume office without delay.”

His position was later echoed by Rivers APC chairman, Chief Tony Okocha, who told PulseNets that the September 18 handover date remained “non-negotiable and sacrosanct.”

Also Read: Rivers crisis: Tinubu meets Wike, Fubara, Ogoni leaders, others

With these developments, President Tinubu is now expected to issue a formal proclamation on September 18, marking exactly six months since the emergency rule was imposed to ease political hostilities between Wike and Fubara.

PulseNets can confirm that the announcement will clear the path for Fubara’s long-awaited return, setting the stage for what many political observers in Port Harcourt describe as a defining moment in Rivers State’s democracy.