The Nigerian Senate has gone behind closed doors to secretly deliberate on President Bola Tinubu’s shocking declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State, which saw the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all elected state lawmakers for six months.
The closed-door session was announced after Senate President Godswill Akpabio read Tinubu’s letter at Thursday’s plenary. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele moved the motion under Order 135 of the Senate rules, with Minority Leader Abba Moro seconding it—fueling speculation about the real motives behind the Senate’s decision.
The unprecedented move by Tinubu, made during a national broadcast on Tuesday night, has sparked national outrage, with critics accusing the President of using state power to settle political scores. The crisis in Rivers State, which centers on a fierce power struggle between Governor Fubara and his predecessor-turned-Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, has now escalated into a full-blown constitutional crisis.
As part of the emergency rule, Tinubu has controversially appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Étè Ibas (retd.), a former Chief of Naval Staff under ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, as the sole administrator of Rivers State—effectively stripping the people of their elected government.
Opposition leaders and pro-democracy groups have condemned the move as an authoritarian overreach, warning that Tinubu’s actions set a dangerous precedent for democracy in Nigeria.
With the Senate now meeting in secrecy, questions arise: Is this about stabilizing Rivers State, or is it a political coup to silence Governor Fubara and tighten Wike’s grip on the oil-rich state?
