Governance collapse led to emergency rule in Rivers, FG tells S’Court

The Federal Government has formally tabled before the Supreme Court reasons for imposing a state of emergency on Rivers State, citing collapse of governance and attacks on critical national economic infrastructure as key factors.

It says it had no choice but to intervene.

The government laid its position bare before the apex court yesterday in response to a suit filed by 11 states mostly controlled by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The states are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara.

The plaintiffs alleged that the Federal Government erred in law by imposing emergency rule on Rivers State.

However, the Federal Government is disputing the plaintiffs’ claims.

In an affidavit by the Special Assistant to the President and the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr. Taiye Hussain Oloyede, the Federal Government alleged a very serious political crisis in Rivers State which culminated in the declaration of a state of emergency by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on March 15, 2025.

It said critical economic assets of the state, including oil pipelines, became targets of vandalization while militants openly threatened fire and brimstone against those they perceived as enemies of the governor, with the governor not doing anything.

Besides, the FG said the state’s crisis reached a point where the suspended Governor Similayi Fubara demolished the state House of Assembly complex.

It said the breakdown of law in the state was such that only four members of the State Assembly were sitting in Fubara’s office.

It said 27 other lawmakers were deprived the constitutional right to make laws for the state.

It said the governor and the lawmakers were trying to outdo one another in a series of suits on the political logjam in the state.

The Federal Government said the governor was not able to present any Appropriation Bill to the House to be passed to access funds to run the state. It is also confirmed classified security report that Fubara demolished the State House of Assembly Complex.

He added, “By reason of my job as Special Assistant to President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, GCFR, I know the facts and circumstances that happened in Rivers State, which culminated in the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by President Bola Ahmed Bola Tinubu on 18th March, 2025.

“It is a matter of common knowledge that there was a very serious political crisis in Rivers State which had led to the Governor of Rivers State and the House of Assembly not being able to work together.

“The State House of Assembly was crisis ridden such that members of the House were divided into two with four members working with the governor while 27 members were opposed to the governor while one was loyal to the Speaker of the House.

“As a result, the governor was not able to present any Appropriation Bill to the House to be passed for the governor to be able to access funds for the running of the affairs of Rivers State.

“Further to paragraph 10 above, by reason of the non-presentation of Appropriation Bill to the Rivers State House of Assembly for passage, governance had run to a standstill.

“The crisis escalated to the point that the governor demolished the House of Assembly of the State thus depriving the 27 members opposed to him from having official accommodation where they could meet to carry out their duties as a House of Assembly,” Oloyede said.

“The governor however allowed the four members he considered loyal to him to be meeting in his office.

“There was violence in the state with attacks on critical economic assets of the State including vandalization of oil pipelines, with the Governor not taking any steps to address the occurrences.

“Militants were openly threatening fire and brimstone against those they perceived as enemies of the governor with the governor not doing anything even as little as denouncing and disowning them.”

Oloyede added, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu intervened in the dispute between the governor and the members of the State Assembly and other political players in the state with a view to resolving issues amicably for them, but the parties stuck to their individual positions to the detriment of peace and development in the state.

“Again, many well-meaning and respected Nigerians also intervened in the crisis with a view to settling it but the Governor and members of the State Assembly gave no room for the crisis to be resolved.

“Even after the delivery of the Supreme Court judgment referred to above, matters still remained the same in the State with no efforts made by the parties to resolve the crisis to allow governance to resume.

“Therefore, to avoid further deterioration, President Ahmed Bola Tinubu had to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State to stop the drift to greater violence.”

Culled from The Nation