By Peter Omopo | September 17, 2025
The Rivers Elders Council has appealed to Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the State House of Assembly to avoid further conflict and focus on rebuilding peace and development in the state as the six-month emergency rule ends.
In a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, Council Chairman Chief Ferdinand Alabraba said the return to full democratic governance offered stakeholders a chance to reflect on past crises and embrace reconciliation.
“We urge all stakeholders, without exception, to embrace the peace and reconciliation that has now returned to our dear state,” the statement read.
The elders praised the roles of President Bola Tinubu and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, crediting them with steering the reconciliation process that brought the governor and the Assembly leadership back to the table. They also commended Rivers residents for their patience throughout the emergency period.
Alabraba warned individuals and groups still making “inflammatory statements” to desist, stressing that the crisis was over and that the state must move forward.
“The people of Rivers State expect nothing less than harmony and cooperation between the Governor and the House of Assembly,” he said.
The Council recalled that both Fubara and Assembly Speaker Martins Amaewhule reaffirmed their peace pact in Abuja before President Tinubu, a vow the elders described as “sacrosanct.”
They further lauded Tinubu for his “proactive action” in averting what they called a looming disaster, noting that the President’s intervention “brought Rivers back from the brink.”
PUNCH had earlier reported that President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers on March 18, 2025, suspending the governor, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and members of the Assembly following a bitter political standoff between Fubara and his predecessor, Wike. The crisis escalated after the demolition of the Assembly complex, disputes over legislative membership, and rising insecurity in the oil-rich state.
Tinubu appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as sole administrator during the emergency, with judicial institutions left intact. The Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, defended the measure as a constitutional safeguard against “the collapse of governance” in Rivers.
With the emergency now lifted, Rivers elders say the state must move beyond past hostilities and unite around the goals of peace, stability, and economic growth.
