Concerns have begun to escalate in Rivers State following the revelation that reinstated Governor Siminalayi Fubara is yet to resume at the State’s government house on Thursday, September 18, 2025.
The reinstated Rivers State Governor was expected to return to office on Thursday following the expiration of a six-month state of emergency imposed by President Bola Tinubu.
However, when hundreds of Rivers State residents trooped to the state’s government house, they discovered that Fubara is yet to resume duties as the Governor of the State.
His absence has sparked widespread concern among residents and political observers.
While Fubara is yet to resume, the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly on Thursday reconvened for the first time after the conclusion of the emergency rule.
At its first plenary since the lifting of emergency rule, the Rivers State House of Assembly called on the Governor to forward the list of commissioner-nominees for screening and confirmation.
Tbe motion for the submission of commissioner-nominees was sponsored by nine members including House Leader Hon. Major Jack, Deputy Leader Hon. Linda Somiari-Stewart, who highlighted that the nomination process is essential for ensuring accountability, transparency, and compliance with the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.
Reading the motion, Jack noted that the emergency rule officially lapsed at midnight on Thursday, restoring full democratic structures in the state. He recalled that one of the gains of the emergency period was the successful conduct of the August 30 local government elections that produced 23 chairmen and councillors.
Following the motion, Speaker Martins Amaewhule directed the clerk of the Assembly to formally write Fubara on the resolutions of the house.
The lawmakers also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for restoring peace in the state.
They also pledged to uphold all agreements reached with stakeholders to ensure lasting peace in Rivers.
However, Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and the 2023 Presidential Candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi have both criticised Tinubu’s handling of the Rivers State political crisis.
Both Atiku and Obi declared that the suspension of Fubara and state lawmakers was unconstitutional in the first place.
Reacting in a post on X, Atiku dismissed the move as illegal, arguing that Tinubu had no authority to suspend elected officials.
“Lifting the suspension of Governor Simi Fubara is nothing to cheer about. The suspension was unconstitutional when it was done six months ago and is still illegal today. President Tinubu had no power to suspend a democratically elected governor and state lawmakers. The Rivers shenanigans only signpost the dictatorship of the Tinubu administration,” he said.
Also, Obi, described the development as “a misstep that should not have happened,” warning that the breach would leave lasting scars on Nigeria’s democracy. “The restoration of democracy in Rivers State after six months of needless disruption remains a sour side of our democracy today. It was a constitutional breach that will hurt our democracy for a long time,” he wrote.
While congratulating the people of Rivers for their endurance, Obi urged Fubara, lawmakers, and political leaders in the state to embrace peace and learn from the episode. “The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing. A true leader admits mistakes, learns from them, and corrects them,” he said.
