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State of Emergency: Tinubu’s intervention saved Rivers from anarchy – Group
The Rivers Peace Congress, RPC, has claimed that the declaration of a state of emergency by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu averted anarchy and is currently yielding positive results, especially in restoring peace, order, and unity to the once politically volatile state.
The RPC described President Tinubu’s intervention as bold, timely, and necessary to protect democracy, lives, and public assets from being eroded by personal power struggles.
In a statement issued on Friday and signed by its national president, Comrade Randy Prince, the group acknowledged the president’s decision to suspend Governor Siminalayi Fubara and appoint a Sole Administrator, following what it described as “months of legislative disobedience, governance breakdown, and brewing anarchy”.
The statement said, “The intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Rivers State came at a time when the very fabric of governance was at risk,” the statement read.
“The breakdown of trust between the executive and legislature had reached dangerous levels. We had a governor who defied court orders, ignored constitutional checks, and appeared more interested in fighting perceived enemies than in governing.
The state was on the brink. But with the state of emergency in place, we are now seeing calm return, institutions function again, and citizens breathe a sigh of relief.”
RPC said there is now a visible improvement in inter-agency cooperation, public service delivery, and conflict resolution, especially in Port Harcourt and surrounding local councils.
“Rivers people can now go to sleep with both eyes closed. Markets have reopened without fear of politically motivated violence. Civil servants are receiving their salaries without stories. The ministries are working, and public projects have resumed. The paralysis that plagued governance has been lifted. And the credit goes to President Tinubu for putting the interest of the people above politics,” the statement added.
Prince noted that while some critics may describe the move as undemocratic, the bigger picture was the preservation of national unity and to salvage the state from total collapse.
“Let us be honest with ourselves, Rivers State was sinking into a constitutional crisis. The judiciary was under siege. The state assembly had become a theatre of war. The governor, by his conduct, isolated himself from elders and even the rule of law. President Tinubu acted, not out of malice, but in defence of peace and the democratic order.
“Ibas has proven himself to be a bridge builder, he has reached out to all factions with dignity and respect. He’s not chasing headlines or fighting ghosts. He’s focused on restoring service delivery, rebuilding institutions, and giving Rivers people a sense of belonging again. That is the kind of leadership we need in times of crisis.”
In the statement, RPC urged international observers and rights organisations to put context before criticism and understand that extraordinary times often require extraordinary decisions to preserve peace and order.
“We invite the international community to see Rivers not through the lens of propaganda but through the real experiences of its citizens,” the statement said.
“Those who are shouting dictatorship from afar did not live here when government offices were under siege and 26 lawmakers were locked out of the assembly thereby denying thousands of Rivers people representation,” Prince said.
“They were not here when government appointments became tools of revenge. We are here, and we can say that the emergency has helped us take a breath and start afresh.”
The group called on Rivers elites, traditional rulers, and the business community to rally behind the Sole Administrator and support the federal government’s roadmap to full political reconciliation and eventual return to democratic elections in the state.
“This is not the time to divide the state further; this is the time for healing. We call on all stakeholders to put Rivers first. We cannot afford to allow personal egos or ethnic loyalties to derail the progress we have started seeing. The Tinubu administration has shown that it has the genuine interest of Rivers at heart. Let us work with it.”
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Thursday, swore in General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd) as Minister of Defence at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
General Musa’s appointment follows the resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Monday, December 1, 2025. His nomination was announced the following day and transmitted to the Senate, where it received expedited screening and confirmation.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the Nigerian Army in 1991 and had a distinguished military career. He was appointed Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023 and retired in October 2025.
As Chief of Defence Staff, he championed inter-service security collaboration.
With his swearing-in, the new Defence Minister is expected to immediately assume duties as the Tinubu administration seeks to consolidate recent security gains and fast-track reforms aimed at achieving lasting peace and stability nationwide.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Sen. Adeniyi Adegbonmire, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, and the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, attended the swearing-in ceremony.
Also in attendance were the spouse of the new Minister, Mrs Lilian Oghogho Musa; Chief of Defense Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan Kukah; and Justice Kumai Bayang Akaahs (rtd).
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has said it has appealed the judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, which ordered the release of twenty-seven houses to James Ibechukwu Okoye and his company.
In the Notice of Appeal filed at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, the Commission expressed dissatisfaction with the decision of the trial court, which was delivered on October 31, 2025.
EFCC counsel, Abba Mohammed, SAN, sought two orders from the Court of Appeal, which include; Staying the execution of the judgment of the trial court pending the hearing and determination of the appeal; and such further or other orders as the court may deem fit to make in the circumstances.
Meanwhile, the Commission said it felt obliged to correct the distortions and misrepresentations contained in a news story titled “EFCC Invades Abuja Property Despite Court Order Restraining Agency, Awarding N20 million To Jona Brothers”.
It explained in a statement on X that the Abuja property, Plot 680-689 Cadastral Zone B06, Mabushi, Abuja, referenced in the report, is a subject of criminal charge before Justice A.I Kutigi of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court .
However, the EFCC said it sought and secured an order of interim forfeiture of the property before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja pending the determination of the criminal charge before Justice Kutigi.
“In granting the order, the court authorized the EFCC to ‘appoint competent persons/ firm to manage the assets/properties listed in the schedule therein, temporarily forfeited to the Federal Government pending the conclusion of investigation and determination of criminal charges against the suspect,’”
“It is also important to point out that the criminal charge struck out by Justice Osho Adebiyi and the N20m cost she awarded is not in any way connected to the interim order.
“In addition, the enforcement of the interim forfeiture order of the property by the Commission is without prejudice to ongoing appeals on court pronouncements about the true ownership of the property. The appeals are ongoing and the EFCC is diligently attending proceedings.”
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun has reaffirmed the commitment of the country’s judiciary to protection of human rights as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution and other international laws and treaties.
She emphasized that the judiciary remains steadfast in its constitutional mandate to uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of citizens.
The CJN spoke on Thursday at the conference on ‘Proportional Force and Respect for Human Dignity: A Dialogue in Governance’, organized by the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, in collaboration with Citizen FM.
The Administrator of the National Judicial Institute, NJI, Justice Babatunde Adeniran Adejumo, represented the Chief Justice of Nigeria at the conference.
In the goodwill message, Justice Kekere-Ekun congratulated the National Human Rights Commission on its 30th anniversary and commended the organizers for holding the conference on International Human Rights Day.
She emphasized that when authority is exercised with restraint, discipline, and accountability, it strengthens public trust and reinforces the legitimacy of institutions.
The CJN reiterated the judiciary’s commitment to protecting human rights and providing remedies where they are infringed.
“Let me make it abundantly clear that the judiciary remains steadfast in its constitutional mandate to uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of citizens,” she said.
The CJN further commended the NHRC for promoting dialogue and awareness on critical human rights issues in Nigeria.
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