By Charles Pemu 
ABUJA – Both President Bola Tinubu and suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara have concluded their respective trips abroad and are returning to Nigeria ahead of a key political transition in Rivers State. Their arrival comes as the state’s sole administrator, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, intensifies preparations for a formal handover on Thursday, marking the end of a six-month state of emergency.
President Tinubu, who cut short his annual holiday in France, and Governor Fubara, returning from London, are set to arrive as the state begins its final transition activities. Ibas, appointed by Tinubu in March 2025 to quell a political crisis that had paralyzed governance, launched the handover process with a thanksgiving service on Sunday.
The crisis, rooted in a power struggle between Fubara and his predecessor Nyesom Wike, had led to the state’s political and security breakdown, including the demolition of the state House of Assembly complex and an upsurge in pipeline vandalism. The Supreme Court had previously criticized Fubara’s actions as “unconstitutional and despotic,” noting the collapse of a functioning legislature.
As part of the transition, a public lecture on “Democracy and Good Governance” is scheduled for Tuesday at Government House. The handover process has been affirmed by a recent Rivers State High Court ruling that validated the local government elections conducted under the emergency rule, asserting that the court lacked jurisdiction to challenge the President’s authority in such a matter.