President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday defended his decision to suspend Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly in March, describing it as a painful but constitutional step to prevent anarchy.
In a nationwide address on Wednesday, September 17, announcing the end of the six-month state of emergency in Rivers, Tinubu said governance in the state had collapsed completely before his intervention.
“It would have been a colossal failure on my part as President not to have made that proclamation,” Tinubu declared.
He explained that the political deadlock between the governor and lawmakers had paralysed the state.
“There was a total paralysis of governance in Rivers State, which had led to the Governor of Rivers State and the House of Assembly being unable to work together. Critical economic assets of the State, including oil pipelines, were being vandalised,” he said.
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The President noted that several attempts by him and other Nigerians to broker peace failed.
“My intervention and that of other well-meaning Nigerians to resolve the conflict proved abortive as both sides stuck rigidly to their positions to the detriment of peace and development of the State,” Tinubu added.
He said invoking Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution to impose emergency rule was the only viable solution at the time.
With the six months now over, Tinubu announced that Fubara, his deputy, and the Assembly will resume their constitutional roles from September 18. He urged all parties to embrace cooperation and avoid further crisis.
“It is only in an atmosphere of peace, order, and good government that we can deliver the dividends of democracy to our people,” the President said.