President Bola Tinubu has declared a state of emergency in Rivers State following the protracted political disaster and the obvious breakdown of regulation and order within the state.
The president, who made the proclamation throughout a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy and all of the members of the Home of Meeting for six months.
Here’s a full textual content of the president’s broadcast
‘’Fellow Nigerians, I really feel tremendously disturbed on the flip we’ve got come to relating to the political disaster in Rivers State. Like lots of you, I’ve watched with concern the event with the hope that the events concerned would enable good sense to prevail on the soonest, however all that hope burned out with none resolution to the disaster.
‘’With the disaster persisting, there is no such thing as a method democratic governance, which we’ve got all fought and labored for over time, can thrive in a method that may redound to the good thing about the nice individuals of the state. The state has been at a standstill because the disaster began, with the nice individuals of the state not having the ability to have entry to the dividends of democracy.
‘’Additionally, it’s public data that the Governor of Rivers State for unjustifiable causes, demolished the Home of Meeting of the state way back to thirteenth December 2023 and has, up till now, fourteen (14) months after, not rebuilt similar. I’ve made private interventions between the contending events for a peaceable decision of the disaster, however my efforts have been largely ignored by the events to the disaster. I’m additionally conscious that many well-meaning Nigerians, Leaders of thought and Patriotic teams have additionally intervened at varied occasions with the most effective of intentions to resolve the matter, however all their efforts had been additionally to no avail. Nonetheless, I thank them.
‘’On February 28, 2025, the supreme court docket, in a judgment in respect of about eight consolidated appeals in regards to the political disaster in Rivers State, based mostly on a number of grave unconstitutional acts and disrespect of rule of regulation which have been dedicated by the Governor of Rivers State as proven by the proof earlier than it pronounced in very clear phrases:
“a authorities can’t be mentioned to exist with out one of many three arms that make up the federal government of a state below the 1999 Structure as amended. On this case the top of the manager arm of the federal government has chosen to break down the legislature to allow him to manipulate with out the legislature as a despot. As it’s there is no such thing as a authorities in Rivers State.”
‘’The above pronouncement got here after a listing of judicial findings of constitutional breaches towards the Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
‘’Going Ahead of their judgment, and having discovered and held that 27 members of the Home who had allegedly defected
“are nonetheless legitimate members of Rivers State Home of Meeting and can’t be prevented from taking part within the proceedings of that Home by the eighth Respondent (that’s, the Governor) in cohorts with 4 members.
‘’The Supreme Courtroom then made some orders to revive the state to quick constitutional democracy. These orders embrace the quick passing of an Appropriation Invoice by the Rivers State Home of Meeting which up until now has not been facilitated.
‘’Some militants had threatened fireplace and brimstone towards their perceived enemy of the governor who has up until now NOT disowned them.
‘’Other than that each the Home and the governor haven’t been in a position to work collectively.
‘’Each of them don’t realise that they’re in workplace to work collectively for the peace and good governance of the state.
‘’The most recent safety experiences made out there to me present that between yesterday and immediately there have been disturbing incidents of vandalization of pipelines by some militant with out the governor taking any motion to curtail them. I’ve, after all given stern order to the safety businesses to make sure security of lives of the nice individuals of Rivers State and the oil pipelines.
‘’With all these and plenty of extra, no good and accountable President will standby and permit the grave state of affairs to proceed with out taking remedial steps prescribed by the Structure to deal with the state of affairs within the state, which little doubt requires extraordinary measures to revive good governance, peace, order and safety.
‘’Within the circumstance, having soberly mirrored on and evaluated the political state of affairs in Rivers State and the Governor and Deputy Governor of Rivers State having didn’t make a request to me as President to difficulty this proclamation as required by part 305(5) of the 1999 Structure as amended, it has turn out to be inevitably compelling for me to invoke the availability of part 305 of the Structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State with impact from immediately, 18th March, 2025 and I so do.
‘’By this declaration, the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu and all elected members of the Home of Meeting of Rivers State are hereby suspended for an preliminary interval of six months.
‘’Within the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd) as Administrator to take cost of the affairs of the state within the curiosity of the nice individuals of Rivers State. For the avoidance of doubt, this declaration doesn’t have an effect on the judicial arm of Rivers State, which shall proceed to operate in accordance with their constitutional mandate.
‘’The Administrator is not going to make any new legal guidelines. He’ll, nonetheless, be free to formulate rules as could also be discovered essential to do his job, however such rules will should be thought-about and permitted by the Federal Govt Council and promulgated by the President for the state.
‘’This declaration has been revealed within the Federal Gazette, a duplicate of which has been forwarded to the Nationwide Meeting in accordance with the Structure. It’s my fervent hope that this inevitable intervention will assist to revive peace and order in Rivers State by awakening all of the contenders to the constitutional imperatives binding on all political gamers in Rivers State specifically and Nigeria as a complete.
‘’Lengthy dwell a united, peaceable, safe and democratic Rivers State specifically and the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a complete.’’
