President Bola Tinubu has declared a State of Emergency in Rivers State, invoking Part 305 of the 1999 Structure (as amended).
This determination follows an emergency assembly with service chiefs and safety heads earlier within the day, because the disaster in Rivers escalated to incorporate pipeline vandalism and the bombing of the Transamadi pipeline.
In a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday night, Tinubu highlighted a number of actions and inactions by Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara that contributed to the deteriorating state of affairs.
5. Demolition of the State Home of Meeting: President Tinubu criticized Governor Fubara for demolishing the Rivers State Home of Meeting in December 2023 with out justification and failing to rebuild it 14 months later.
“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 identical,” Tinubu said.
4. Unconstitutional Acts and Disregard for Rule of Legislation: Tinubu referenced a Supreme Court docket judgment from February 28, 2025, which condemned Fubara’s actions as unconstitutional.
“The Supreme Court docket, in a judgment… 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 beneath 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 isn’t any authorities in Rivers State.’”
3. Failure to Disown Militant Threats: The president criticized Fubara for not distancing himself from militants who issued threats towards his perceived enemies.
“Some militants had threatened hearth and brimstone towards their perceived enemy of the governor who has up until now NOT disowned them,” Tinubu remarked.
2. Inaction on Pipeline Vandalism: Tinubu expressed concern over the governor’s failure to handle pipeline vandalism by militants.
“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 militants with out the governor taking any motion to curtail them. I’ve, after all, given stern orders to the safety companies to make sure the security of lives of the nice folks of Rivers State and the oil pipelines,” he mentioned.
1. Failure to Request Presidential Proclamation: Tinubu famous that each Governor Fubara and his deputy did not formally request a presidential proclamation, as required by Part 305(5) of the Structure.
“Having soberly mirrored on and evaluated the political state of affairs in Rivers State and the Governor and Deputy Governor of Rivers State having did not make a request to me as President to problem this proclamation… it has turn out to be inevitably compelling for me to invoke the supply of Part 305 of the Structure… to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State with impact from immediately, 18th March 2025, and I so do,” Tinubu declared.
The political disaster in Rivers stems from an influence wrestle between Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). This rift has polarized the Rivers Meeting and exacerbated tensions within the state.
