By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
Barring last-minute changes, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Prof. Ngozi Odu, and the 32-member House of Assembly are expected to return to office on September 18, 2025, after President Bola Tinubu shut down moves to extend emergency rule in the state.
This follows a closed-door meeting last Wednesday at the Presidential Villa between the President and the state’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas (rtd).
According to credible sources, Tinubu instructed Ibas to prepare and submit a comprehensive handover note before the President concludes his 10-day vacation. The report must capture:
Funds inherited from Governor Fubara, Revenues generated during the six-month emergency rule and their sources, Expenditures under Ibas’ stewardship, Projects executed with clear specification.
The order effectively ends a push by some lawmakers for a three-month extension of emergency rule, which would have kept Ibas in power until December 2025. Proponents of the extension had argued that extra time was needed to complete key projects, including the reconstruction of the demolished House of Assembly complex and workers’ verification.
But strong opposition, particularly from FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, scuttled the plan. Wike reportedly insisted the suspension of democratic institutions must not go beyond September 18.
Wike had earlier declared, after casting his vote in the August 30 local government elections, that the governor and lawmakers were “ready to return.” APC state chairman, Chief Tony Okocha, also described the September 18 date as “sacrosanct.”
Observers note that Tinubu’s upcoming trip to the United Nations General Assembly may also have influenced the decision, as global civil society groups are expected to scrutinize Nigeria’s democratic credentials.
Governor Fubara, who is currently in London with his family, is expected to return soon. Sources say he will be handed a fresh list of political appointees, including commissioners, once he resumes office.
It will be recalled that on March 18, Tinubu imposed emergency rule in Rivers State to calm the political crisis between Wike and Fubara.