Experts Split Over End of Rivers Emergency Rule, Fubara’s Political Future

‎Two prominent voices, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, lawyer, APC chieftain and former presidential aide, and Justice Osai Ahiakwo, clergyman and public commentator, have offered sharply contrasting perspectives on the expiration of the six-month state of emergency in Rivers State and the political prospects of suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

‎Speaking separately in Calabar on Monday, Obono-Obla described the federal intervention as both constitutional and timely, insisting it was needed to restore order and stability.

‎ “Extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures. Six months was sufficient to cleanse the Augean stable in Rivers,” he said.

‎He further argued that suspending both the governor and the state assembly, while installing a sole administrator, were legitimate corrective steps.

‎ “It was not an attack on democracy but a safeguard. The governor now has an opportunity to return humbled, reconciled, and better prepared to serve,” Obono-Obla added.

‎Justice Ahiakwo, however, strongly disagreed, warning that the measure had inflicted more damage than it cured.

‎“Rather than bring peace, emergency rule was weaponized to hijack Rivers’ resources and weaken the elected governor,” he said.

‎He condemned the use of constitutional powers under Section 305, saying it amounted to a dangerous political manipulation.

‎“My heart bleeds at the abuse of Section 305. It left the state on autopilot and the people in suffering. This was not about security but a political coup a precedent that undermines the people’s mandate,” Ahiakwo argued.

‎While Obono-Obla views the end of the emergency as a window for Governor Fubara to reconcile and rebuild, Ahiakwo maintains that the intervention has left deep scars that will shape Rivers politics long after the emergency rule has lapsed.