Wike Assures Rivers Emergency Rule to End September 18, Says LG Elections Successful
Former governor of Rivers State and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike has said that the state emergency imposed on Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu will end on September 18, 2025.
Wike gave the indication in Port Harcourt of Saturday after casting his vote at the ongoing local government election in the state.
Wike who avoided commenting on Governor Siminalayi Fubara, however, stated that he was sure that the Rivers State House of Assembly will resume sitting after September 18.
The former governor also said that the local government administration in the state will return.
Speaking to journalists, Wike said:
“As far as we are concerned, this election is peaceful, people are trooping out and at the end of the day the election has been conducted successfully and peacefully.
“I do know that by September 18, the state of emergency will expire and the state assembly will come back to their job and we will have a government at the grassroots level.”
“The coast is clear for the state of emergency to be lifted, being that the state government has its representative and the local government has its representatives, so we are good to go.”
President Tinubu declared state of emergency in the state on March 18, 2025, suspended the elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and Governor Fubara.
The president subsequently appointed a retired naval officer, Ibok Ette -Ibas to oversee the state and restore peace among the warring political elites.
The state of emergency and suspension of Governor Fubara alongside the state parliament elicited serious criticism from pro-democracy enthusiasts and activists.
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in protest moved their 2025 Annual General Congress (AGC) from Rivers State to Enugu State insisting that holding the conference in Port Harcourt was going to amount to a tacit support for the “undemocratic” action of President Bola Tinubu.
The NBA held the AGC in Enugu between August 24- 29, 2025 with over 22, 000 lawyers and international speakers including leader of South Africa opposition party, EFF, Mr. Julius Malema who gave keynote address at the conference.
