The political atmosphere in Rivers State shifted dramatically on Thursday, September 18, 2025, as the State House of Assembly reconvened for plenary, ending a six-month silence imposed by the emergency rule declared by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in March.
The lawmakers, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, sat inside the makeshift conference hall at the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt, their temporary chamber since the iconic assembly complex on Moscow Road was razed and demolished.
Their return followed President Tinubu’s formal termination of the emergency rule on Wednesday, September 17, directing Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and the lawmakers to immediately resume their constitutional duties.
Tinubu had declared the extraordinary measure on March 18, suspending the governor, his deputy, and the entire Assembly while installing retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as sole administrator to pilot the state.
The move, which followed a bitter face-off between Governor Fubara and members of the Assembly loyal to Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, triggered fierce national debate, with critics branding it a constitutional overreach and others hailing it as a pragmatic step to halt Rivers’ political implosion.
While Ibas was unable to complete the reconstruction of the destroyed assembly complex during his tenure, the President’s decision to lift the suspension has now restored democratic governance in the oil-rich state.
In his first task upon reconvening, Speaker Amaewhule, backed by his colleagues, directed Governor Fubara to submit a list of commissioner-nominees without delay for screening and confirmation, signaling the lawmakers’ intent to quickly revive government machinery after six months of paralysis.
Lawmakers also used the occasion to commend President Tinubu for restoring constitutional order and pledged loyalty to the peace pact brokered between Fubara and Wike earlier in the year.
Governor Fubara, who has since held private reconciliation meetings with both Tinubu and Wike, is expected to fully resume his office alongside his deputy and other suspended officials in line with the President’s directive.
The resumption of plenary marks a decisive turning point in Rivers’ turbulent political crisis, with all eyes now on whether the fragile peace will hold as the state reopens its democratic space.
