President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of state of emergency in Rivers on Tuesday, made it the fourth time such measure would be taken in the country since the commencement of the present civilian dispensation in 1999.
By Emma Ogbuehi
President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of state of emergency in Rivers on Tuesday, made it the fourth time such measure would be taken in the country since the commencement of the present civilian dispensation in 1999.
Tinubu took the step citing the protracted political crisis that has been rocking the oil-rich state since September 2023.
In a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, Tinubu announced the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu and all elected members of the state House of Assembly for an initial period of six months.
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To oversee the state during the emergency rule, the President appointed a former Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Ibokette Ibas (retd.), as the administrator
Tinubu’s predecessors, including President Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan had made such declarations, relying on Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution to declare state of emergency in states.
The section interprets a state of emergency as a situation of national danger, disaster or terrorist attacks in which a government suspends normal constitutional procedures to regain control.
A state of emergency allows the President to immediately make any desired regulations to secure public order and safety. The proclamation must be published in the government gazette and transmitted to the National Assembly for approval.
A two-thirds majority of the National Assembly is required to validate the declaration, ensuring a system of checks and balances to prevent abuse of executive powers.
Since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, Tinubu’s action marks the fourth time a state of emergency has been declared by a sitting President.
Here is a timeline of emergency rule in Nigeria since 1999:
1. On May 18, 2004, Obasanjo imposed a state of emergency on Plateau State, suspending the elected Governor Joshua Dariye and the State House of Assembly in the process. He accused the governor of failing to act to end a cycle of bloodletting violence between the Plateau State’s Muslim and Christian communities that claimed over 2,000 lives since September 2001.
2. On December 31, 2011, Jonathan declared a State of Emergency in some local governments in Borno and Plateau States in 2011.
3. On May 14, 2013, Jonathan declared a state of emergency for the entire northeast insurgent-ridden states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.
4. On March 18, 2025, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State following the protracted political crisis in the state. Tinubu made the proclamation during a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday.
