President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced the end of the six-month state of emergency in Rivers State, paving the way for Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Nma Odu, and the State House of Assembly to formally return to their constitutional duties beginning Thursday, September 18, 2025.
While this move restores constitutional order, it also exposes the hypocrisy of certain political actors. The same PDP leaders who abandoned Governor Fubara during his most difficult trial — refusing to defend him when he was suspended and the state hijacked — are now shamelessly lining up with unsolicited advice and empty statements of solidarity. Where were they when the people of Rivers were silenced for half a year?
The truth is simple: the return of democratic governance in Rivers is not a favour from those political opportunists but the result of Rivers people’s resilience.
Tinubu’s decision may close one chapter, but Rivers citizens will not forget how quickly some leaders chose self-preservation over justice. The challenge before Fubara is clear — to govern with the lessons of betrayal fresh in mind, and to ensure that Rivers’ destiny is not mortgaged to political merchants who remember the people only when the tide has turned.
