Rivers State House Of Assembly Resumes Plenary After Tinubu’s Emergency Rule

The Rivers State House of Assembly on Thursday resumed plenary at the following the expiration of the six-month state of emergency imposed on the state by President Bola Tinubu.

The session was presided over by Speaker Martins Amaewhule and held at the conference hall within the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

Earlier, SaharaReporters reports that the now outgone administrator of Rivers State, Ibok-Ete Ibas, officially handed over to the reinstated Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara.

In his final state-wide broadcast, Ibas urged the people of the state to support Fubara as he resumes his duties of leading the state

President Bola Tinubu had suspended Fubara six months ago while declaring an emergency rule in Rivers State.

On Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu announced the end of the state of emergency in Rivers State, effective midnight on September 17, 2025.

The emergency rule was declared on March 18, 2025, due to a constitutional impasse between the Governor and the House of Assembly, which had brought governance to a standstill.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, Atiku described the suspension and subsequent reinstatement as unconstitutional, illegal, and a clear sign of dictatorship under Tinubu’s watch.

Atiku wrote: “Lifting the suspension of Governor Simi Fubara is nothing to cheer about. The suspension of the Rivers State Governor and the State House of Assembly was unconstitutional when it was done six months ago and is still illegal today. President Tinubu had no power to suspend a democratically elected governor and state lawmakers. The Rivers shenanigans only signpost the dictatorship of the Tinubu administration.”