State of Emergency: Panic Grips Rivers Citizens As Military, Armoured Tanks Occupy Govt House
By Simeon OSAJIE
Tension has encircled Rivers States citizens as soldiers seized the Government House, in Port Harcourt and positioned themselves in strategic locations in the state capital and other places following yesterday, imposition of emergency rule on the beleaguered state.
Tension was physical on the streets as residents and motorists made frantic attempts to get to the comfort and safety of their homes soon after the emergency rule was declared by President Tinubu in a nation-wide broadcast and retired Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas from Cross River State was announced as the administrator to pilot the affairs of the state.
President Tinubu who stated that there is need to restore law and order, suspended the embattled Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs. Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State for an initial six-month period.
And few hours after the declaration, soldiers moved into the Rivers Government House in Port Harcourt, though the whereabouts of the suspended governor was uncertain. While some sources said the governor was still in his official residence in the Government House when the troops seized the place around 9.00pm, another source said he was in his private residence.
An Armoured Personnel Carrier was stationed at the entrance of the Government House located along Azikiwe Road while several Sports Utility Vehicles outside were sighted at the main gate with full lights on. It was suspected that if the governor was actually still on the premises, he might be getting ready to leave.
Justifying the action, President Tinubu said in his broadcast that he was worried by the unfolding events in the state, which appeared to have defied political solutions, stalled development and progress and denied the people of the state the dividends of democracy.
According to Tinubu, “In the circumstance, 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 as required by section 305(5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, it has become inevitably compelling for me to invoke the provision of section 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State with effect from today, 18th March, 2025 and I so do.
“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.
“In the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (retd.) as Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state in the interest of the good people of Rivers State. For the avoidance of doubt, this declaration does not affect the judicial arm of Rivers State, which shall continue to function in accordance with their constitutional mandate.”
He however clarified that the emergency declaration did not affect the judicial arm of Rivers State, which will continue to function in accordance with its constitutional mandate.
The president said the Administrator will not make any new laws but is free to formulate regulations as may be found necessary to do his job, but such regulations will need to be considered and approved by the Federal Executive Council and promulgated by the President for the state.
The declaration, he added, had been published in the Federal Gazette, a copy of which had 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,’’ the President stated.
The announcement came a few hours after President Tinubu summoned an emergency security meeting at the Presidential Villa with the country’s service chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police in attendance following two blasts at different oil facilities in the state.
Other security chiefs at the meeting which commenced at 3:00 pm, were the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Directors General of the State Security Service, Adeola Ajayi and the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed,
Also in attendance were the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, and other top government officials.
