Fubara: Rivers State Ends Emergency Rule, Returns To Democracy
The Rivers State Government has formally set the wheels in motion for a transition from emergency administration back to democratic governance.
According to a statement obtained by PulseNets from the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Ibibia Lucky Worika, all critical stakeholders have been invited to a special interdenominational church thanksgiving service in Port Harcourt as part of the handover process.
PulseNets recalls that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had, in a nationwide address on March 18, 2025, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State following a deepening political crisis. The emergency rule came at the height of the rift between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his estranged political mentor, Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike.
Reliable insiders told PulseNets that the fierce struggle for control of Rivers’ political machinery had spiraled into open hostilities between Wike and Fubara, prompting the President’s intervention. During that broadcast, Tinubu accused Fubara of ordering the demolition of the State House of Assembly and, in response, announced the “suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy Ngozi Odu for six months to stabilize the state’s governance.”
PulseNets also learnt that Tinubu immediately suspended all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as the Administrator to oversee the state’s affairs.
After months of tension, Wike and Fubara reconciled publicly in June during a visit to President Tinubu, a development widely reported by PulseNets at the time. Since that truce, Wike has regained significant influence over the state’s political structure, cemented by his allies’ sweeping victories in the recently concluded local government elections.
With the emergency rule winding down, the government is moving to reestablish normal democratic processes. The thanksgiving service is scheduled for Sunday at the Ecumenical Centre, Abonima Wharf Road, Port Harcourt, at 10 a.m., with all guests expected to be seated by 9:30 a.m.
Also Read: Fubara Set to Return as Rivers Governor as Emergency Rule Extension Plot Collapses
The statement emphasised that
“Permanent Secretaries, Local Government Chairmen, Heads of Security and Paramilitary Agencies, Traditional Rulers, Board Chairmen and Members, Captains of Industry, and invited guests are expected to attend the Inter-Denominational Thanksgiving Service as part of activities to usher in democratic governance in Rivers State.”
Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), the state’s Administrator during the emergency period, has been named Special Guest of Honour for the event.
