Embrace peace, learn from emergency rule, Obi urges Rivers leaders

Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has urged political “gladiators” in Rivers State to learn from the six-month emergency rule.

Obi, who described the intervention as a constitutional breach that harmed Nigeria’s democracy, called on Governor Siminalayi Fubara, state lawmakers, and other leaders to acknowledge mistakes, embrace peace and work toward reconciliation.

Recall that President Bola Tinubu had, on the 18th of March 2025, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Fubara, Deputy, Ngozi Odu, for six months in the first instance, and appointing Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Bias (retd.) as the state’s Sole Administrator

Tinubu invoked his powers as granted by Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution.

He, however, announced the suspension of the rule on Wednesday, stating that from available intelligence, there was “a groundswell of a new spirit of understanding.”

Reacting on his X handle on Thursday, Obi argued that the suspension breached Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, which permits such extraordinary powers only in the face of grave threats to public safety or national security.

The former Anambra Governor further said the issue poses lessons for political gladiators in Rivers State.

He said, “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.”

Obi congratulated “the good people of Rivers State for their endurance in the face of provocations.”

He appealed to Governor Similaya 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,” he added.

The controversy in Rivers State traces back to a bitter power struggle between incumbent Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who now serves as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

The feud escalated into a governance paralysis, with lawmakers defecting en masse and the state assembly dissolving amid allegations of corruption and political sabotage.