Emergency Rule Ends: Fubara Returns, But Who Really Won?

By: Abudu Olalekan

Siminalayi Fubara walks back into Government House today. Six months gone. Six months of silence, tension, and a state held hostage by politics. But was it worth it?

President Tinubu just pulled the plug on the emergency rule he slapped on Rivers State back in March. Midnight. That’s when democracy officially restarts. Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and the entire Assembly — including the controversial Speaker Martins Amaewhule — are back. On paper, anyway.

Tinubu sounded almost proud. “I’m happy,” he said. “There’s a new spirit of understanding.” A groundswell, he called it. Like a tide turning. But let’s be real — this wasn’t peace born of love. It was exhaustion. And fear.

The crisis? A brutal family feud turned national drama. Fubara, once the golden boy of Nyesom Wike (now FCT Minister), tried to cut the cord. Wike didn’t take it lightly. By late 2023, the state Assembly split. One group loyal to Fubara. The other, 27 strong, backing Wike. Then came the fire at the Assembly building. Then the Supreme Court ruling in February 2025 — a gut punch. It said Amaewhule’s faction was real. Fubara’s budget? Invalid. His LG election? Illegal. Funds frozen.

Then, the pipelines exploded. Bodo. Omwawriwa. Oil. Blood. Tinubu had enough. March 18, he stepped in. Suspended everyone. Appointed ex-Navy chief Ibas as Sole Administrator. Democracy? On pause.

Now it’s over. But who’s smiling?

Tinubu? Oh, he’s grinning.
He stopped the bleeding. Fixed the pipelines. Restored oil flow — crucial for a government desperate for revenue. Politically? He flipped Rivers. The APC, once a joke here, now controls 20 of 23 LGAs after the August 30 poll. Fubara’s return? A PR win. “I saved democracy,” he says. But really, he saved the oil.

Wike? Smug as ever.
He lost direct control, sure. But his man, Amaewhule, is back. His faction runs the Assembly. His influence? Stronger. Fubara didn’t beat him. He negotiated with him. And now? The governor’s hands are tied. “Saved from the sledgehammer,” Wike once joked. True. But he’s also a puppet now.

Fubara? Mixed bag.
He’s alive. He’s back. But is he free? His loyalists lost the LG race. His agenda stalled. His allies sidelined. One woman in Opobo said it best: “He’s like an infant. Waiting for instructions.” Ouch.

Then there’s Ibas, the retired admiral. Quiet. Effective. Ran a state without fanfare. Now, a national figure. Could he run in Cross River? Maybe. His name means something now.

And the APC? They’re dancing. From opposition to power in six months. Tony Okocha, state chairman, calls it “a new dawn.” Fubara might even lead the party now. Irony, huh?

But not everyone’s celebrating.

Rotimi Amaechi? Gone.
The ex-governor, now in ADC, fought this hard. Called it a “brazen power grab.” But Wike won. Amaechi? Forgotten. Again.

Fubara’s old allies? Locked out.
Omehia. Secondus. Maeba. They stood with him. Now? Wike calls them weak. And Fubara’s return won’t save them.

Even Oko-Jumbo, the rival speaker, is on thin ice. His faction? Three men. Against 27. Good luck.

And what about the people?

Port Harcourt is calm. Too calm. No rallies. No cheers. Just whispers. “Is this peace or surrender?” one trader asked. Others fear the truce won’t last. Wike’s boys and Fubara’s crew? Still eyeing each other.

Then there was the security mutiny Wednesday morning. Civil Defence guys, unpaid for six months, blocked Ibas’ convoy. “They made billions,” one yelled. “We got nothing!” They almost locked the gates. Senior officers stepped in. But the anger? Real.

Even the courts aren’t done.

Lawyers like Olalekan Ojo SAN say the Supreme Court must rule on the legality of the emergency — even now. “It’s not academic,” he insists. “If the rule was illegal, those suspended deserve back pay.” Precedent exists — Plateau 2004. The court ruled after the emergency ended.

PDP’s legal team agrees. “This isn’t about Fubara,” says Ajibade SAN. “It’s about the Constitution. We can’t let this slide.”

So what now?

Fubara returns Thursday. His women’s group plans a welcome. But the streets? Quiet. The projects? Frozen. The trust? Broken.

Tinubu says: “Let peace reign.” But power doesn’t fade. It shifts.

Rivers isn’t healed.
It’s just… quiet.
For now.

And in politics?
Quiet is just the calm before the next storm.