The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State.
The political tension in Rivers between the three arms of government has proven fruitless to resolve, hence the president’s pronouncement on national broadcast using his executive power as provided by the constitution in Section 305 (1).
President Tinubu, while speaking, decried the ongoing conflict in the oil-rich state, which has escalated to other security threats and economic sabotage.
“Like many of you, I have watched with concern the developments, hoping that the parties involved would allow good sense to prevail. However, all hopes of a peaceful resolution have been dashed,” he said.
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He also highlighted several issues caused by the current political unrest, including ongoing pipeline vandalism and militant activities.
Tinubu blamed Siminalayi Fubara for demolishing the State House of Assembly complex in December 2023 and failing to rebuild it.
He also faulted the governor for collapsing the legislature, thereby undermining democracy as the Supreme Court had earlier ruled.
Quoting the Supreme Court ruling, Tinubu stated: “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. In this case, the head of the executive arm has chosen to collapse the legislature to enable him to govern without it as a despot. As it is, there is no government in Rivers State.”
“Between yesterday and today, security reports indicate disturbing incidents of pipeline vandalism by militants without any action from the governor to curtail them,” Tinubu said.
