Temitayo Olumofe
Imagine waking up to news that your state’s government has been suspended overnight. No governor, no lawmakers, just a sudden void where democracy once stood. This is the reality for millions in Rivers State, Nigeria’s oil-rich southern region, after President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency on March 18, 2025. The move has left Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s political future dangling like a thread. But how did it come to this?
Rivers State’s turmoil began long before Tinubu’s declaration. At its core is a bitter power struggle between Fubara’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), fueled by a Supreme Court ruling in February 2025. The court upheld the defection of 27 lawmakers from the PDP to the APC, declaring them valid members of the state assembly. Fubara’s administration resisted, leading to a legislative deadlock. Fubara’s tenure has been marked by clashes with the state legislature. Critics accuse him of undermining the legislature, including demolishing the Assembly’s complex in December 2023, a move he defended as necessary due to structural flaws.
Citing constitutional breaches and insecurity, Tinubu invoked Section 305 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution to suspend Fubara and appoint retired Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas as sole administrator.
Rivers State’s Turbulent Past
Rivers State, often referred to as the heart of Nigeria’s oil industry, has long been a hotspot for political turmoil and violence. Its strategic importance, both economically and politically, has made it a battleground for power struggles that have left deep scars on its governance and social fabric. The state’s oil wealth and strategic location make it a prized asset, often fueling rivalries.
To understand the current crisis in Rivers, it is essential to delve into its tumultuous history, marked by electoral violence, gang wars and the exploitation of its vast oil wealth.
Rivers State has long been a battleground for political power. In the 2010s, former Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s defection from the PDP to the APC sparked violent clashes.
The 2015 gubernatorial elections marked another dark chapter in Rivers’ history. The contest between PDP’s candidate Nyesom Wike and his APC counterpart, Dakuku Peterside, was marred by widespread violence, ballot-box snatching, vote rigging and assassinations. The rivalry between former Governor Rotimi Amaechi (APC) and Wike (PDP) further inflamed tensions. Amaechi had defected from the PDP to the APC in 2013, disrupting the state’s traditional power-sharing arrangements and raising ethnic grievances.
Cult groups and ex-militants aligned themselves with either the PDP or APC during this period, using intimidation tactics to influence voters. According to reports from Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), Rivers recorded the highest number of election-related fatalities in Nigeria during the 2015 polls. The violence peaked again during the 2016 rerun legislative elections when 21 federal and state legislative seats were contested after being invalidated due to irregularities.
Former Governor Nyesom Wike, a PDP stalwart, remains a shadow figure. His feud with Fubara, whom he backed in 2023, turned sour after Fubara allegedly sidelined him and his allies. Wike’s influence in the Niger Delta and alleged ties to militants have drawn accusations of orchestrating unrest.
Legal and Political Fallout
The current crisis in Rivers can be traced back to October 2023 when members of the State House of Assembly attempted to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara following his alleged refusal to cooperate with legislative demands. This led to violent clashes that culminated in the burning down of the Assembly chambers—a symbolic act that underscored the depth of political divisions in the state.
In December 2023, 27 lawmakers made a move to defect from Fubara’s PDP to join the APC and were even welcomed by the APC in the state (though they later denied actually defecting while the Supreme Court concurred that there was no evidence of their defection), further destabilizing his administration. These events set the stage for President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a State of Emergency in March 2025—a move that many see as political.
Tinubu’s March 18 declaration marked a dramatic escalation. In a televised address, he painted Fubara as a “despot” who had collapsed governance by refusing to rebuild the assembly complex or comply with court orders. The president also cited security threats, including pipeline attacks, which he claimed Fubara failed to address.The National Assembly swiftly approved the emergency rule under Section 305(2) of the Constitution, which allows intervention during “grave threat to national security”. However, critics argue Tinubu overstepped. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) stated: “The President doesn’t have powers to remove elected governors in a state of emergency”. Opposition leaders like Atiku Abubakar and Seriake Dickson condemned the move as a “constitutional coup”.
On his part, Fubara pushed back, insisting he acted on expert advice to demolish the assembly complex and had reinstated commissioners to ease tensions. “We remain devoted to upholding constitutional order,” he said in a statement.
Beyond legal battles, ordinary Rivers residents face uncertainty. The state’s economy, reliant on oil revenue, teeters as pipeline attacks disrupt production. For Fubara, the stakes are personal. If the emergency persists, his political career could end abruptly.
Some Nigerians, particularly APC allies, defended Tinubu’s action as necessary to address Rivers’ governance collapse. Reno Omokri, a vocal commentator, praised the declaration as a right step to curb insecurity and political paralysis. The National Assembly’s swift approval of the emergency rule further bolstered Tinubu’s stance, framing it as a constitutional response to a “grave threat”.
Groups like PANDEF accused Tinubu of betraying the Niger Delta, contrasting his response to Rivers with his past criticism of emergency declarations in northern states. They argued that similar pipeline attacks elsewhere had not triggered such drastic measures, alleging double standards. Fubara himself blamed Nyesom Wike, a Tinubu ally, for inciting violence through derogatory remarks against the Ijaw people.
A Crossroads for Nigeria’s Democracy
The crisis in Rivers State is not just a local issue it is a defining moment for Nigeria’s democracy. Tinubu’s invocation of Section 305 has exposed deep fractures in the country’s constitutional framework and political culture. While supporters argue the move restored order, critics warn it risks normalizing authoritarianism. For ordinary Nigerians, the stakes are personal stability, livelihoods, and trust in institutions hang in the balance. As the Senate’s mediation committee navigates this minefield, one truth is clear, Nigeria’s future depends on whether its leaders choose dialogue over division, and rule of law over the rule of man.
