Nigerians on Tuesday night, March 18, have entered social media to respond to the presidential announcement of Rivers State.
President Bola Tinubu was broadcast nationwide today, suspending River Governor Siminialayi Fubara, his deputy NMA NMA ODU Professor and member of the State Capitol.
Tinubu appoints Deputy Admiral Ibokette Ibas (RTD) as administrator and will take effect immediately.
The decision was necessary to restore peace, order and governance of the river as the state fell into months of political unrest, Tinubu said. The president also cited the demolition of the Rivers State Capitol in December 2023, which he said was unreasonable.
“More than a year after the demolition, the complex has not been established, exacerbating tensions between the executive and legislative departments of the state government,” Tinubu said.
Tinubu mentioned the Supreme Court decision of February 28, 2025, which ruled that the river actually stopped the normal government due to the collapse of its legislative branch. The court upheld the validity of 27 legislators who defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to all Progressive Assembly (APC), ruling that they must be allowed to resume legislative activities. The 27 legislators are loyal to the federal capital’s territorial minister Nyesom Wike, who is also the direct governor of the river.
See Nigerians’ reaction on X below…
