Read full text of declaration as Tinubu suspends Fubara, deputy governor, announces state of emergency in Rivers state

Legit.ng writer Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has implicit 9 years of acquisition covering politics and governance successful Nigeria.

Port Harcourt, Rivers authorities - President Bola Tinubu connected Tuesday evening, March 18, declared a authorities of emergency successful Rivers state, citing the prolonged governmental situation and governance paralysis.

Legit.ng reports that Tinubu besides suspended—for six months—Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his lawman Ngozi Odu, and the oil-rich state's location of assembly.

Below is the afloat substance of the Nigerian leader's speech:

TEXT OF THE BROADCAST BY PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES, DECLARING STATE OF EMERGENCY IN RIVERS STATE ON TUESDAY 18 MARCH 2025

Fellow Nigerians, I consciousness greatly disturbed astatine the crook we person travel to regarding the governmental situation successful Rivers State. Like galore of you, I person watched with interest the improvement with the anticipation that the parties progressive would let bully consciousness to prevail astatine the soonest, but each that anticipation burned retired without immoderate solution to the crisis.

With the situation persisting, determination is nary mode antiauthoritarian governance, which we person each fought and worked for implicit the years, can thrive successful a mode that volition redound to the payment of the bully radical of the state. The authorities has been astatine a standstill since the situation started, with the bully radical of the authorities not being capable to person entree to the dividends of democracy.

Also, it is nationalist cognition that the Governor of Rivers State for unjustifiable reasons, demolished the House of Assembly of the authorities arsenic acold backmost arsenic 13th December 2023 and has, up until now, fourteen (14) months after, not rebuilt same. I person made idiosyncratic interventions betwixt the contending parties for a peaceful solution of the crisis, but my efforts person been mostly ignored by the parties to the crisis. I americium besides alert that galore well-meaning Nigerians, Leaders of thought and Patriotic groups person besides intervened astatine assorted times with the champion of intentions to resoluteness the matter, but each their efforts were besides to nary avail. Still, I convey them.

On February 28, 2025, the ultimate court, successful a judgement successful respect of astir 8 consolidated appeals concerning the governmental situation successful Rivers State, based connected respective sedate unconstitutional acts and disregard of regularisation of instrumentality that person been committed by the Governor of Rivers State arsenic shown by the grounds earlier it pronounced successful precise wide terms:

“a authorities cannot beryllium said to beryllium without 1 of the 3 arms that marque up the authorities of a authorities nether the 1999 Constitution arsenic amended. In this lawsuit the caput of the enforcement limb of the authorities has chosen to illness the legislature to alteration him to govern without the legislature arsenic a despot. As it is determination is nary authorities successful Rivers State.”

The supra pronouncement came aft a catalogue of judicial findings of law breaches against the Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

Going Forward successful their judgment, and having recovered and held that 27 members of the House who had allegedly defected “are inactive valid members of Rivers State House of Assembly and cannot beryllium prevented from participating successful the proceedings of that House by the 8th Respondent (that is, the Governor) successful cohorts with 4 members”.

The Supreme Court past made immoderate orders to reconstruct the authorities to contiguous law democracy. These orders see the contiguous passing of an Appropriation Bill by the Rivers State House of Assembly which up till present has not been facilitated.

Some militants had threatened occurrence and brimstone against their perceived force of the politician who has up till present NOT disowned them.

Apart from that some the House and the politician person not been capable to enactment together.

Both of them bash not realise that they are successful bureau to enactment unneurotic for the bid and bully governance of the state.

The latest information reports made disposable to maine amusement that betwixt yesterday and contiguous determination person been disturbing incidents of vandalization of pipelines by immoderate militant without the politician taking immoderate enactment to curtail them. I have, of people fixed stern bid to the information agencies to guarantee information of lives of the bully radical of Rivers State and the lipid pipelines.

With each these and galore more, nary bully and liable President volition standby and let the sedate concern to proceed without taking remedial steps prescribed by the Constitution to code the concern successful the state, which nary uncertainty requires bonzer measures to reconstruct bully governance, peace, bid and security.

In the circumstance, having soberly reflected connected and evaluated the governmental concern successful Rivers State and the Governor and Deputy Governor of Rivers State having failed to marque a petition to maine arsenic President to contented this proclamation arsenic required by conception 305(5) of the 1999 Constitution arsenic amended, it has go inevitably compelling for maine to invoke the proviso of conception 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 arsenic amended, to state a authorities of exigency successful Rivers State with effect from today, 18th March, 2025 and I truthful do.

By this declaration, the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu and each elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State are hereby suspended for an archetypal play of six months.

In the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd) arsenic Administrator to instrumentality complaint of the affairs of the authorities successful the involvement of the bully radical of Rivers State. For the avoidance of doubt, this declaration does not impact the judicial limb of Rivers State, which shall proceed to relation successful accordance with their law mandate.

The Administrator volition not marque immoderate caller laws. He will, however, beryllium escaped to formulate regulations arsenic whitethorn beryllium recovered indispensable to bash his job, but specified regulations volition request to beryllium considered and approved by the Federal Executive Council and promulgated by the President for the state.

This declaration has been published successful the Federal Gazette, a transcript of which has been forwarded to the National Assembly successful accordance with the Constitution. It is my fervent anticipation that this inevitable involution volition assistance to reconstruct bid and bid successful Rivers State by awakening each the contenders to the law imperatives binding connected each governmental players successful Rivers State successful peculiar and Nigeria arsenic a whole.

Long unrecorded a united, peaceful, unafraid and antiauthoritarian Rivers State successful peculiar and the Federal Republic of Nigeria arsenic a whole.

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Source: Legit.ng