THE Rivers State House of Assembly, on Thursday, September 18, resumed its first plenary after President Bola Tinubu lifted the six-month emergency rule, which restored full democratic governance to the oil-rich state.
A report by Punch noted that the lawmakers were expected to convene at 10 a.m. in the Conference Hall of the Legislative Quarters on Aba Road, Port Harcourt, with Speaker Martin Amaewhule presiding.
The lawmakers have been meeting in the conference hall since their official chamber at the Assembly complex on Moscow Road was demolished by the state government.
The sitting followed the official return of legislative activities suspended in March when Tinubu dissolved the state’s political structures to quell a violent power struggle between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and a faction of the Assembly loyal to former governor and current FCT minister Nyesom Wike.
Ibas swears in head of service before bowing out
Meanwhile, a day earlier, the sole administrator, Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired vice admiral, appointed by the president to run the state during the emergency rule, sworn in Inyingi Brown as the substantive Head of Service.
The brief ceremony at Government House, Port Harcourt, confirmed Brown, who had been working in acting capacity since the resignation of former Head of Service George Nwaeke.
Speaking at the event, Ibas urged her to maintain the same loyalty she displayed during the interim government when Governor Siminalayi Fubara resumes.
“I charge you to offer Governor Siminalayi Fubara equal loyalty you gave to the interim administration when you served in an acting capacity,” he said.
In the same development, the former naval chief described governance as a process requiring sacrifice and dialogue, warning that “power without restraint can cripple institutions, and rivalry without dialogue clearly endangers democracy.”
He listed the conduct of local government elections, the reconstitution of statutory boards, and passage of the state budget by the National Assembly as key achievements of his interim administration.
Recall that Tinubu imposed emergency rule in March 2025 after what he described as political unrest in the state. During the process, he suspended Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and the House of Assembly. Tinubu appointed Ibas to restore order.
However, on Wednesday, September 17, the president lifted the state of emergency.
Tinubu, in a statement from the Presidential Villa, said the “extraordinary measure” was necessary to halt a total breakdown of governance in the oil-rich state after a prolonged political crisis between the executive and legislature.
According to the statement, the rift left the governor without a functional Assembly to pass an appropriation bill and exposed vital economic assets, including oil pipelines, to vandalism.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M