[Download] Federal Govt Gazette Declaring State Of Emergency In Rivers, Suspending Governor & Assembly

The Federal Government has taken extraordinary measures in Rivers State by declaring a state of emergency, officially gazetted on March 18, 2025, through the Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette No. 47.

In the proclamation titled “State of Emergency (Rivers State) Proclamation, 2025,” President Bola Ahmed Tinubu exercised constitutional powers under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution to suspend the state’s elected leadership, including the Governor, Deputy Governor, and all members of the State House of Assembly with immediate effect.

The gazette confirms the appointment of Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd.) as the Administrator of Rivers State for the duration of the emergency period. Under this arrangement, all executive and legislative powers previously held by state officials have been transferred to federal control.

According to the official document, the federal government justified the intervention as necessary to prevent an “imminent breakdown of public order and security” that could potentially lead to “massive loss of lives and property” if left unaddressed.