President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday evening declared a state of emergency in Rivers State over the crisis rocking both the executive and legislative arms of government in the state.
In a national broadcast to the nation, the President said during the six-month period of the state of emergency, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy and all members of the state House of Assembly will be on suspension.
He said: “By this declaration, the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State are hereby suspended for an initial period of six months”.
Tinubu also announced the appointment of Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) as Administrator of the state for the initial six month period.
His words: “In the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd) as Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state in the interest of the good people of Rivers State.”
Citing Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, Tinubu said the emergency measure was necessary to restore peace.
He added that the proclamation had been published in the Federal Gazette and forwarded to the National Assembly.
Tinubu added, “This declaration has been published in the Federal Gazette, a copy of which has been forwarded to the National Assembly in accordance with the Constitution.
“It is my fervent hope that this inevitable intervention will help to restore peace and order in Rivers State by awakening all the contenders to the constitutional imperatives binding on all political players in Rivers State in particular and Nigeria as a whole.”
