Govnor Fubara return after state of emergency, wetin next for Rivers state?

River State Governor Siminalayi Fubara go resume work on Thursday following the lifting of the state of emergency wey Nigeria President Bola Ahmed Tinubu bin declare on di state six months ago on 18 March, 2025.

Di declaration by di president come as a result of months of political disagreement between Govnor Siminalayi Fubara and di Rivers State House of Assembly members wey dey loyal to di Minister of di FCT, Nyesom Wike.

All dis crises arise from disagreement between Govnor Fubara and di former govnor and current FCT Minister Wike.

A timeline of events in di last six months

Dis na a timeline of tins wey don hapun for di past six months:

March 2025: President Tinubu appoint Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas Rtd to be di Sole Administrator of di State. Upon assuming office, di Sole Administrator dissolve di State Executive Council as well as chairmen and members of boards of agencies for di State.

April 2025: Di Sole Administrator appoint sole administrators for di 23 local govment areas.

May 2025: President Bola Tinubu submit di 2025 Appropriation Bill for Rivers State to di National Assembly for consideration. Di President remind di National Assembly say di Supreme Court bin nullify di 2025 budget wey suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara bin present and by June, dem pass N1.485 trillion as di Appropriation Bill for Rivers State.

June 2025: FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Govnor Fubara reconcile and pledge to work togeda. "No more acrimony. Peace don finally come to di state." Na wetin FCT Minister Nyesom Wike tok at di end of a peace meeting between im and Rivers State Govnor Siminialayi Fubara wit President Bola Tinubu for Aso Rock on 27 June 2025.

Afta di meeting, di FCT minister and Govnor Fubara say peace don return as dem don finally reconcile. Wike say dem don agree to work togeda wit di govnor and di govnor too don agree to work with dem. E say dem be members of di same political family wey dey disagree sometimes but now, dem don settle and dem come togeda to inform Mr. President.

Still for June, di nomination and appointment of a non-indigene as chairman of di Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission RSIEC cause uproar as many bin dey against am but di Senate confam Dr. Michael Odey, wey from Cross River State, along with oda members of di Commission following di report of di Ad- Hoc Committee on Oversight of Emergency Rule in Rivers State wey di Chairman, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele present.

July 2025: As e resume office, Odey announce date for di conduct of local govment elections to hold on 30 August as opposed to di 9 August date wey di former RSIEC Chairman Justice Adolphus Enebeli Rtd bin announce.

August 2025: Despite some opposition, di election hold on Saturday 30 August amidst some voter apathy. Di All Progressives Congress, APC, win 20 LGAs while di Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, win only three LGAs.

With di LG council chairmen sworn into office, and with few days to di end of di suspension of di govnor, di Sole Administrator swear in chairmen and board members for some boards and agencies for di state.

Still for di month of August and with few days to di end of di administration, di sole administrator conduct civil servants verification exercise for both staff and pensioners for di State, including local govment workers. At di end of di exercise, Ibas say e discover an inflated wage bill and save over five billion Naira, but many civil servants and pensioners complain say dem no receive August salary and pension and di acting head of service direct those wey dey affected to report to di permanent secretary or head of di ministries. Dis raise questions as to wetin e save at di end if some workers/pensioners no get dia due pay.

September 2025: A state high court for Port Harcourt strike out a case wey challenge di declaration of di State of emergency and conduct of local govment elections. Presiding judge, Justice, Stephen Jumbo hold say di court lack jurisdiction to entertain di suit, as e say based on di constitution, only Supreme court get di exclusive jurisdiction to hear such suits during emergency rule.

Justice Jumbo declare say di conduct of di LGA election dey constitutional and legitimate, as no be di govnor or di sole administrator dey conduct LGA election but RSIEC. Dis na di first time wey a court don give judgement on a case wey challenge di declaration of a state of emergency for Rivers State as many oda similar cases still dey pending for different federal high courts for Port Harcourt and Abuja and anoda one wey dey di Supreme Court wey PDP govnors been bring to challenge di suspension of Govnor Fubara.

Sole Administrator Vice Admiral (Rtd) Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas score imsef high

Meanwhile, Rivers State sole administrator, Vice Admiral (Rtd) Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, say e don achieve di mandate wey President Bola Ahmed Tinubu give am following di successful restoration of democratic governance for di grassroots level.

Dis na wen di Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) present di comprehensive report of di local govment elections to di state administrator.

Vice Admiral Ibas say di peaceful conduct of di polls and subsequent swearing-in of democratically elected chairmen and councillors across all 23 local govment areas mark di direct fulfilment of di presidential directive to am on March 18, 2025.

"Mr. President mandate to me dey clear: to stabilise di state, create enabling environment for di re-establishment of di institutions, and return Rivers State back to full democratic governance," di administrator tok.

"Wit di successful conduct and swearing-in of local govment chairmen and dia councils, I believe say we don decisively achieve di mandate wey dem give us."

Di administrator say im administration go carefully review di RSIEC report and issue official govment white paper in due course.

Reflecting on di necessity of di emergency period, di Administrator say, "di emergency rule no be choice, but na necessity. Yet, in hindsight, e offer us enduring blessings - say peace dey priceless and without security, no oda aspiration dey possible, and dat di indomitable spirit of Rivers pipo no fit dey broken."

What next as Fubara returns?

Expectations dey high as di executive and legislative arm of govment for Rivers State go resume work after di six months.

Some like di Center for Human Rights and Accountability Network (CHRAN) dey ask di Govnor Fubara to set up a committee to investigate di management of State funds during di six months of State of Emergency Rule under Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd.)

CHRAN Director, Otuekong Franklyn Isong insist say di president action dey unlawful and unconstitutional, as Section 305 of di Constitution of di Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) no empower di President to suspend an elected State Govnor, Deputy Govnor and elected members of di State House of Assembly.

E say di suspension of di Governor don extend im tenure by six months and di Supreme Court need to make a pronouncement on dis issue bifor oda similar cases go arise.

But a political analyst Olalekan Ige argue say wetin dey next for di Rivers State Govnor na for am to get back to work as time no dey again.

E say work plenti for di govnor to do especially as e concern completion of projects wey work on dem stop for di period of di emergency rule and need dey for am to focus on di development for di state.

Ige note say e remain few months for 2025 to end, and with di fact say focus for 2026 go mostly dey on preparations for 2027 wey just dey by di corner, di govnor no get time to waste to dey probe pipo, as some pipo dey demand, but to focus on policies, programmes and projects wey go beta di lives of Rivers pipo.

"Di future dey very bright for Govnor Fubara becos e get a lot of opportunity to carry out a lot of projects and do tins bifor di next general elections for 2027."

Ige note say di reconciliation with di FCT Minister mean say di govnor don come back to im political fold so na for am to join bodi with odas to work for di good of di state.

Meanwhile for O.C.J Okocha, former National President of di Nigerian Bar Association, di six months emergency rule in Rivers State no bin be di best experience for Rivers state becos of di negative impact on infrastructural and human capital development.

Di Senior Advocate of Nigeria note say not much hapun for di six months of emergency rule as di executive arm, headed by di govnor bin dey suspended and di suspension operate in such a way wey be say di executive council, special advisers and assistants go with am.

Okocha say, "di expectations of all of us - indigenes of Rivers state and citizens of di state, and indeed all residents of Rivers State, na for full governance to dey restored with di full complements of di personnel wey make up di govment."