Mobolaji Adeyeye, a stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has welcomed President Bola Tinubu’s decision to lift the six-month emergency rule in Rivers State, describing it as a vital step in safeguarding Nigeria’s democracy.
President Tinubu announced the end of the emergency on Wednesday, reinstating Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the 31-member House of Assembly after months of political paralysis that crippled governance in the oil-producing state.
The emergency, imposed on March 18, was triggered by a bitter standoff between Governor Fubara and the state legislature that stalled budget approvals and raised fears of a wider breakdown. Defending his decision, Tinubu said the measure was necessary “to arrest the drift toward anarchy.”
Reacting to the development, Mobolaji Adeyeye praised the President for acting decisively when the crisis threatened to spiral out of control, and for restoring democratic institutions once intelligence suggested a renewed spirit of compromise among political actors.
“What this moment demonstrates is that democracy is not the absence of conflict but the capacity to resolve disagreements without destroying institutions. President Tinubu has shown both firmness and restraint, first by preventing chaos, and now by reopening the democratic process,” Mobolaji Adeyeye said.
Rivers State, Nigeria’s largest hub for crude oil exports, has long been a flashpoint for political rivalry and resource battles. The declaration of emergency earlier this year sparked criticism and led to over 40 legal challenges across Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Yenagoa.
Mobolaji Adeyeye said the Rivers episode should serve as a warning to political leaders that endless confrontations between governors and legislatures only erode public trust and weaken governance.
“When leaders treat politics like a battlefield, it is ordinary citizens who pay the price. Rivers is too strategic to Nigeria’s economy to be held hostage by endless quarrels. What is required is responsibility, dialogue, and a commitment to public service,” Mobolaji Adeyeye stated.
He urged Governor Fubara and the Rivers House of Assembly to see the lifting of the emergency not as a victory for one side but as a collective opportunity to rebuild confidence in governance.
As the governor and lawmakers resume duties on September 18, observers say Rivers State will remain a test case for how Nigeria’s democratic institutions can withstand political crises without permanent damage.
