Nigerian President Bola Tinubu ended six months of emergency rule in oil-rich Rivers State on Wednesday and restored Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy and the state assembly, saying the political deadlock that froze governance had eased.
Tinubu imposed the measure on March 18 after a clash between the governor and lawmakers stalled budget approvals and heightened security worries in the Niger Delta, a hub for Nigeria’s crude exports. He said ending the decree followed intelligence pointing to a “new spirit of understanding” among local power brokers. Officials are due back at their desks on Sept. 18.
The proclamation drew more than 40 legal challenges in courts across Abuja, Port Harcourt and Yenagoa, criticism Tinubu defended as part of democratic contestation even as he argued the step was necessary to avert anarchy.
Emergency rule is rare in Nigeria; nationwide attention last focused on a state-level decree in 2013 during the Boko Haram insurgency under then-President Goodluck Jonathan.