On Friday, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara officially resumed at the Government House in Port Harcourt, signaling the end of a six-month suspension and a period of political uncertainty in the oil-rich state.
Fubara’s return follows the lifting of emergency rule by President Bola Tinubu on September 17, 2025, which had placed executive and legislative functions under federal control amid escalating political tensions.
The governor’s arrival was met with jubilant scenes as supporters thronged the streets and gathered outside the Government House, waving banners, chanting solidarity songs, and celebrating what they described as a ‘victory for democracy.’
PUNCH Online reports that Fubara, on Friday, arrived at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, two days after President Bola Tinubu lifted the state of emergency imposed on the state and ordered his reinstatement.
Fubara was suspended in March 2025 following a prolonged standoff with members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The crisis, which included impeachment threats, budgetary blockades, and security breakdowns, prompted the federal government to impose emergency rule under Section 305 of the Nigerian Constitution, which is the first such intervention in the state since 1999.