overnor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State returned to the state capital, Port Harcourt, on Friday, following the official end of the six-month emergency rule declared by President Bola Tinubu.
Fubara touched down at the Port Harcourt International Airport at approximately 12:19 p.m., over 24 hours after President Tinubu formally lifted the special security and administrative measures imposed on the state earlier this year.
Wearing a blue shirt and a black baseball cap, Governor Fubara was welcomed by a large crowd of supporters who had gathered at the VIP wing of the airport in anticipation of his return.
Despite the Rivers State House of Assembly resuming legislative activities on Thursday, Governor Fubara did not make an appearance at the Government House, leaving hundreds of supporters waiting outside the premises.
However, in a televised interview on Channels Television’s “Politics Today,” FCT Minister and former Rivers governor Nyesom Wike stated that Governor Fubara was not legally obligated to return to office immediately following the end of the emergency rule.
“He’s not under compulsion by law to resume on Thursday,” Wike said, downplaying speculations around Fubara’s absence from the statehouse.
The emergency rule in Rivers State was declared in March 2025 amid escalating political tensions and security concerns. The federal intervention included increased military presence and temporary administrative oversight. It officially ended on Thursday, September 18, after a presidential directive confirmed the return to democratic governance.
