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By Myke Agunwa, Abuja
As mixed reactions continue to trail the end of the six-month emergency rule imposed by President Bola Tinubu in Rivers State six months ago, the Presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, has described the development as a misstep that will continue to hurt Nigeria’s democracy for a long time.
Obi expressed hope that all political gladiators would have learnt a lesson from the sad episode because it would be a tragedy if no lessons were learnt.
The former Anambra State governor made known his position via tweets captioned: “The misstep that should not have happened,” on his X handle on Thursday.
He said, “The restoration of democracy in Rivers State after six months of needless disruption remains a sour side of our democracy today.
“It was a constitutional breach that will hurt our democracy for a long time.
“I just hope that some lessons were learned by all the gladiators in the Rivers State impasse. Great minds remind us that ‘The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.’
“A true leader is the one who admits his/her mistakes, is smart enough to learn from them, and is strong enough to correct them.
“I would like to congratulate the good people of Rivers State for their endurance in the face of provocations.
“And to appeal to Governor Siminalaye Fubara, the members of the state House of Assembly and all the political leaders in the state to embrace peace and forge ahead.
“The real mistake is the one where we end up learning nothing. Be assured that a new Nigeria is POssible and inevitable.”
Pointblanknews.com reported that on March 18, 2025, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the state, citing a total collapse of governance, vandalism of critical assets, including oil pipelines, and a fractured House of Assembly divided into two factions.
Four members supported the governor, while 27 supported the speaker, culminating in difficulty to pass the 2025 Appropriation Bill and a near collapse of governance.
According to Obi, even the Supreme Court later declared that “there was no government in Rivers State” he said.
Expressing his intention to bring the state of emergency to an end on Wednesday, Tinubu expressed happiness that, based on intelligence, there was a renewed spirit of understanding among stakeholders for an immediate return to democratic governance, deeming the six-month emergency declaration sufficient.
He stated, “I am happy today that, from the intelligence available to me, there is a groundswell of a new spirit of understanding, a robust readiness, and potent enthusiasm on the part of all the stakeholders in Rivers State for an immediate return to democratic governance.
“This is undoubtedly a welcome development for me and a remarkable achievement for us. I therefore do not see why the state of emergency should exist a day longer than the six months I had pronounced at the beginning of it.
“It therefore gives me great pleasure to declare that the emergency in Rivers State of Nigeria shall end with effect from midnight today.
“I take this opportunity to remind the Governors and the Houses of Assembly of all the States of our country to continue to appreciate that it is only in an atmosphere of peace, order, and good government that we can deliver the dividends of democracy to our people. I implore all of you to let this realisation drive your actions at all times.”
He described the proclamation as a painful but necessary step to prevent anarchy in Rivers State.