Five times President Tinubu criticized Fubara for Rivers crisis in his presidential broadcast

President Bola Tinubu has declared a State of Emergency in Rivers State, invoking Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

This decision follows an emergency meeting with service chiefs and security heads earlier in the day, as the crisis in Rivers escalated to include pipeline vandalism and the bombing of the Transamadi pipeline.

In a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday evening, Tinubu highlighted several actions and inactions by Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara that contributed to the deteriorating situation.

Five Instances Tinubu criticized Fubara

5. Demolition of the State House of Assembly: President Tinubu criticized Governor Fubara for demolishing the Rivers State House of Assembly in December 2023 without justification and failing to rebuild it 14 months later. 

“It is public knowledge that the Governor of Rivers State, for unjustifiable reasons, demolished the House of Assembly of the state as far back as 13th December 2023 and has, up until now, fourteen (14) months after, not rebuilt same,” Tinubu stated.

4. Unconstitutional Acts and Disregard for Rule of Law: Tinubu referenced a Supreme Court judgment from February 28, 2025, which condemned Fubara’s actions as unconstitutional. 

“The Supreme Court, in a judgment… pronounced in very clear terms: ‘A government cannot be said to exist without one of the three arms that make up the government of a state under the 1999 Constitution as amended. In this case, the head of the executive arm of the government has chosen to collapse the legislature to enable him to govern without the legislature as a despot. As it is, there is no government in Rivers State.’”

3. Failure to Disown Militant Threats: The president criticized Fubara for not distancing himself from militants who issued threats against his perceived enemies. 

“Some militants had threatened fire and brimstone against their perceived enemy of the governor who has up till now NOT disowned them,” Tinubu remarked.

2. Inaction on Pipeline Vandalism:  Tinubu expressed concern over the governor’s failure to address pipeline vandalism by militants. 

“The latest security reports made available to me show that between yesterday and today, there have been disturbing incidents of vandalization of pipelines by some militants without the governor taking any action to curtail them. I have, of course, given stern orders to the security agencies to ensure the safety of lives of the good people of Rivers State and the oil pipelines,” he said.

1. Failure to Request Presidential Proclamation: Tinubu noted that both Governor Fubara and his deputy failed to formally request a presidential proclamation, as required by Section 305(5) of the Constitution. 

“Having soberly reflected on and evaluated the political situation in Rivers State and the Governor and Deputy Governor of Rivers State having failed to make a request to me as President to issue this proclamation… it has become inevitably compelling for me to invoke the provision of Section 305 of the Constitution… to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State with effect from today, 18th March 2025, and I so do,” Tinubu declared.

What you should know

• President Tinubu has appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as the administrator of Rivers State. Ibas will oversee the state’s affairs for at least six months.
• The Rivers State House of Assembly had initiated impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara and Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu on Monday, accusing them of gross misconduct.
• Allegations included reckless and unconstitutional expenditure of public funds, failure to present the 2024 Appropriation Bill, and unauthorized withdrawals from the state’s consolidated revenue fund.

The political crisis in Rivers stems from a power struggle between Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). This rift has polarized the Rivers Assembly and exacerbated tensions in the state.