By Ebiere Kekeboro
Former governor of Rivers State and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has disclosed that the state of emergency imposed on Rivers by President Bola Tinubu will expire on September 18, 2025.
Wike made the disclosure in Port Harcourt on Saturday after casting his vote in the ongoing local government election.
Although he declined to comment directly on Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the FCT Minister expressed confidence that the Rivers State House of Assembly would resume legislative duties immediately after the expiration of the emergency rule.
He also assured that the suspended local government administrations in the state would be restored.
“As far as we are concerned, this election is peaceful. People are trooping out and, at the end of the day, the exercise has been conducted successfully and peacefully.
“I do know that by September 18, the state of emergency will expire and the state assembly will come back to their job, and we will have a government at the grassroots level.
“The coast is clear for the state of emergency to be lifted, since both the state government and local governments now have their representatives,” Wike told journalists.
President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers on March 18, 2025, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara and members of the State House of Assembly.
The president appointed retired naval officer Ibok Ette-Ibas to oversee the state and restore peace among political factions.
The decision drew widespread criticism from civil society groups and pro-democracy advocates. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) protested by relocating its 2025 Annual General Conference (AGC) from Port Harcourt to Enugu, describing the presidential directive as “undemocratic.”
The AGC, which held between August 24 and 29, attracted over 22,000 lawyers and international speakers, including South African opposition leader Julius Malema, who delivered the keynote address.
With the September 18 deadline approaching, stakeholders are closely watching to see how the return of democratic structures will reshape the political climate in Rivers State.