Presidential Broadcast – President Tinubu chastised Fubara five times over the Rivers problem.

In accordance with Section 305 of the “1999 Constitution (The constitution, which we still operate, is Decree 24 and was promulgated into law by a military dictator General Abdusalam Abubakar, on May 5, 1999, and has become operative from May 29, 1999 till date), President Bola Tinubu has proclaimed a State of Emergency in Rivers State.

After the situation in Rivers intensified to include pipeline vandalism and the bombing of the Transamadi pipeline, an emergency meeting with service chiefs and security leaders was held earlier in the day.

During a countrywide broadcast on Tuesday night, Tinubu emphasized a number of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s acts and inactions that exacerbated the problem.

Five Examples Tinubu took issue with Fubara.

1. The State House of Assembly was demolished. Governor Fubara came under fire from President Tinubu for destroying the Rivers State House of Assembly without cause in December 2023 and neglecting to reconstruct it 14 months later.

“It is public knowledge that the Governor of Rivers State, for unjustifiable reasons, demolished the House of Assembly of the state as far back as 13th December 2023 and has, up until now, fourteen (14) months after, not rebuilt same,” Tinubu stated.

2) Acts that violate the Constitution and disregard the rule of law Tinubu cited a February 28, 2025, Supreme Court ruling that declared Fubara’s actions unlawful.

“The Supreme Court, in a judgment… pronounced in very clear terms: ‘A government cannot be said to exist without one of the three arms that make up the government of a state under the 1999 Constitution as amended. In this case, the head of the executive arm of the government has chosen to collapse the legislature to enable him to govern without the legislature as a despot. As it is, there is no government in Rivers State.’”

3) Ignorance of Militant Dangers Fubara was chastised by the president for failing to distance himself from radicals who threatened his alleged adversaries.

“Some militants had threatened fire and brimstone against their perceived enemy of the governor who has up till now NOT disowned them,” Tinubu remarked.

4) Failure to Address Pipeline Vandalism Tinubu voiced his displeasure with the governor for not taking action against militant pipeline sabotage.

“The latest security reports made available to me show that between yesterday and today, there have been disturbing incidents of vandalization of pipelines by some militants without the governor taking any action to curtail them. I have, of course, given stern orders to the security agencies to ensure the safety of lives of the good people of Rivers State and the oil pipelines,” he said.

5) Not Making a Presidential Proclamation Request Tinubu pointed out that, in violation of Section 305(5) of the Constitution, Governor Fubara and his deputy did not properly obtain a presidential proclamation.

“Having soberly reflected on and evaluated the political situation in Rivers State and the Governor and Deputy Governor of Rivers State having failed to make a request to me as President to issue this proclamation… it has become inevitably compelling for me to invoke the provision of Section 305 of the Constitution… to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State with effect from today, 18th March 2025, and I so do,” Tinubu declared.

Things you should be aware of

Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas has been named Rivers State’s administrator by President Tinubu. Ibas will be in charge of the state’s operations for a minimum of six months.
On Monday, the Rivers State House of Assembly accused Governor Fubara and Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu of egregious misbehavior and began the impeachment process.

Unauthorized withdrawals from the state’s consolidated revenue pool, careless and unconstitutional use of public funds, and the absence of the 2024 Appropriation Bill were among the accusations.
A power battle between Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is currently the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is the root cause of the political crisis in Rivers. This division has increased tensions in the state and split the Rivers Assembly.