President Bola Tinubu and suspended Rivers State governor Siminalayi Fubara are due back in Nigeria on Tuesday, as the sole administrator, Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), stages a series of transition events ahead of the scheduled handover that will restore democratic rule to the state on Thursday.
Tinubu cut short his annual working vacation in France and the United Kingdom and will resume official duties in Abuja on arrival, his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga said. While in Paris the president met French President Emmanuel Macron for talks aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation, according to official accounts.
Fubara — who has been in London since the March emergency declaration — is also expected to return on Tuesday, aides told local media, ahead of his formal reinstatement on Thursday. The simultaneity of the returns has heightened political interest across the state as preparations for the restoration of civilian governance intensify.
Ibas began the transition with a thanksgiving service in Port Harcourt at the weekend and will be the special guest of honour at a public lecture on “Democracy and Good Governance” at the Banquet Hall, Government House, scheduled for Tuesday morning as part of the handover programme. State officials have asked invited guests to be seated by 9:30 a.m. for the lecture.
Background to the emergency
President Tinubu declared a six-month state of emergency in Rivers on 18 March, citing escalating political instability, constitutional breaches and security threats — including pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta — and appointed retired Vice-Admiral Ibas as sole administrator. The move suspended the governor, deputy governor and the state assembly and placed day-to-day governance under a federal appointee. The declaration was widely reported and debated nationally.
The crisis followed months of intra-party conflict and institutional breakdown in the oil-producing state, including the demolition of the Rivers House of Assembly complex in late 2023 and disputes over the status of defecting lawmakers. The Supreme Court in February had criticised actions that effectively sidelined the legislature, and the ensuing stalemate contributed to the federal intervention.
Legal and electoral disputes
A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt recently struck out a suit challenging aspects of the August 30 local government elections and the federal appointment of election officials, with the presiding judge ruling that the court lacked jurisdiction in the context of an emergency proclamation and that the claimant lacked locus standi. The ruling leaves in place the state electoral commission’s conduct of the polls, for now, and may be subject to appeal.
What to watch
With the formal handover date approaching, political watchers will be looking for the logistics of Fubara’s reinstatement, the terms for the resumption of legislative functions, and any measures aimed at healing the political divisions that prompted federal intervention. Security officials will also be under scrutiny as the administration seeks to stabilise oil infrastructure and reassure investors that production disruptions will be checked.
