President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday announced the end of the six-month state of emergency in Rivers State, declaring that normal democratic governance will resume at midnight, September 17, 2025.

The President had proclaimed the emergency on March 18, 2025, citing what he described as a “total paralysis of governance” in the oil-rich state, where a bitter feud between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the State House of Assembly had brought government business to a standstill.

At the height of the crisis, 27 lawmakers aligned with Speaker Martins Amaewhule clashed with four pro-Fubara legislators, leaving the governor unable to present an appropriation bill or access funds. The Supreme Court, in one of several related cases, had ruled that there was effectively “no government in Rivers State.”

Tinubu said his intervention became “painfully inevitable” after all efforts to reconcile the warring factions failed. Under the proclamation, the offices of the governor, deputy governor, and all elected Assembly members were suspended for six months, with the National Assembly approving the move.

Addressing Nigerians in a nationwide statement, the President said intelligence reports now show “a new spirit of understanding” among political actors in Rivers.

“I therefore do not see why the state of emergency should exist a day longer than the six months I had pronounced at the beginning of it,” Tinubu declared.

With the expiration of the proclamation, Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Nma Odu, Speaker Martins Amaewhule, and the entire Rivers House of Assembly will resume duties on September 18.

The President thanked traditional rulers and residents of Rivers State for their cooperation during the emergency period while urging political leaders across Nigeria to prioritize peace and order in governance.

“It is only in an atmosphere of peace, order, and good government that we can deliver the dividends of democracy to our people,” Tinubu said.