Following a closed-door meeting between President Bola Tinubu and the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas (retd), at the Presidential Villa last Wednesday, indications are strong that suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, and the 32-member House of Assembly may return to office on September 18, 2025, Vanguard reports.
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Sources revealed that President Tinubu “ordered” Ibas to submit a comprehensive handover note detailing his six-month stewardship before the end of his 10-day vacation. The report is expected to cover all inherited funds from Fubara, revenues accrued during the emergency rule, expenditures, and the projects funded within the period, with clear specifications.
The directive reportedly halted a push by some National Assembly figures seeking a three-month extension of Ibas’s emergency rule. The proposed extension would have allowed him to complete key projects, including the reconstruction of the House of Assembly complex, a workers verification exercise, and the installation of sensitive equipment in government institutions, effectively postponing the restoration of democratic governance until January 2026.
However, the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, remains strongly opposed to any extension, advocating for the lifting of the emergency rule on September 18. Wike had previously said, after voting in the August 30 local government elections, that the governor and Assembly members were ready to resume duties. The state APC chairman, Chief Tony Okocha, reiterated that the September 18 date is sacrosanct.
According to sources, Ibas is expected to submit his administrative report to the President “two days before his return from vacation,” after which a formal announcement to lift the emergency rule may be made, marking exactly six months since its proclamation on March 18.
A Port Harcourt-based human rights activist, speaking anonymously, noted that President Tinubu’s upcoming trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York could influence the decision, stressing that lifting the suspension is “morally right” to avoid potential backlash from the international community.
Governor Fubara, currently in London with his family, is expected to return to Nigeria soon to resume duties. Upon his return, he will reportedly receive a list of political appointees, including commissioners, who will join his administration.
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