5 Key Events in Rivers State After Tinubu’s Emergency Rule

President Bola Tinubu made a huge announcement on national TV, declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly. 

Tinubu said the goal was to bring peace to the state, but many Nigerians had mixed reactions. Some called the move unfair and against democracy.

The president then appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Retired) as the Sole Administrator of Rivers State to take over running the state. Since then, many things have happened.

Here are five major developments:

1. PDP Governors Took President Tinubu to CourtAfter the state of emergency was declared, eleven governors from the PDP took President Tinubu to the Supreme Court. These governors came from states like Oyo, Delta, Enugu, and Bayelsa. They argued that Tinubu’s action was not allowed by the Constitution.

They filed their case through their state Attorneys General, asking the court to decide if the emergency declaration was legal or not.

2. Federal Government Released Rivers State Funds After Budget DisagreementThe fight between suspended Governor Fubara and members of the House of Assembly reached the Supreme Court.

The court said the state government could not get its money until Fubara presented the budget to the correct lawmakers. But the lawmakers refused to accept the budget.

As a result, workers in Rivers State were not paid, and development projects stopped.

When the new Sole Administrator was sworn in, the Federal Government released the funds, and salaries were paid.

However, people are still asking which budget the Sole Administrator is using to run the state. Recently, he said he would create a new budget, but many people criticised the idea.

3. New Government Officials AppointedSince taking over, Vice Admiral Ibas has appointed new people to help him govern. He named Professor Ibiba Lucky Worika as the new Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and Dr Inyingi Brown as Acting Head of Service after the former Head of Service resigned.

He also met with security officials, spoke to the people of the state, and inspected projects started by the suspended governor.

4. Boards and Political Appointees RemovedThe Sole Administrator also removed all board members, commission leaders, and political appointees chosen by Governor Fubara. He then appointed new people to the Civil Service Commission, Local Government Service Commission, and the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission.

These actions caused serious debate, especially because a court had already issued an order to stop some of these changes. Despite the order, the Sole Administrator went ahead with the appointments.

5. Local Government Administrators AppointedRecently, the Sole Administrator appointed new leaders for local government councils. Many people say this is illegal because local governments should have elected officials, not appointees.

The announcement, signed by Professor Worika, confirmed the new appointees for both the Civil Service Commission and Local Government Service Commission and said the appointments would begin on April 7, 2025.

In the middle of all this, suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara asked the people of Rivers State to stay calm. He said that since he became governor, all his actions had followed the law, and his goal had always been to protect lives and help the state move forward.