With the six-month state of emergency due to end on September 18, 2025, Rivers State is preparing for the return of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, and the 32-member House of Assembly.

Their reinstatement will conclude a period in which Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd) governed as Sole Administrator, exercising both executive and legislative authority under a federal directive.

Ibas’ Tenure: Reach, Results, and Resentment

Public opinion on Ibas’ stewardship remains divided. Supporters argue he moved quickly on security and administrative control, pointing to budget lines for CCTV deployments, patrol gunboats, and contingency spending as measures aimed at stabilising the state.

Critics counter that the Sole Administrator operated beyond the spirit of constitutional checks and balances,making appointments and dismissals across boards and agencies without a representative legislature in place. 

They also fault the prioritisation of security-heavy spending at a time when Port Harcourt’s waste management and urban upkeep drew complaints from residents who lamented the city’s slide from “garden” to “garbage.”

The August 30 local government elections became a flashpoint. Opposition voices and civic groups alleged the outcomes were effectively sealed before polling day, fuelling distrust and agitation.

Rights advocates have since pressed for a transparent, line-by-line accounting of federal allocations and internally generated revenue received during the emergency period.

What Rivers People Want Next

As democratic governance resumes, a broad consensus is forming around immediate priorities:

• Finish key infrastructure: Citizens want active work and credible timelines for the Port Harcourt Ring Road, the Trans-Kalabari Link Road, and other abandoned or slow-moving projects.
• Fix the civil service pipeline: Long-delayed promotions, recruitment of teachers and health workers, and the restoration of routine administrative processes are recurring demands.
• Rebuild trust: Stakeholders across party lines are urging a reset—less brinkmanship, more dialogue with the legislature, local councils, labour, and community leaders.

Political figures in the state’s major parties have also called for reconciliation with federal stakeholders, arguing that a cooperative stance would unlock faster project approvals and funding.

Hope, Doubt, and the Politics of Control

The public mood is mixed. Some supporters are optimistic that Fubara’s return will reopen stalled files and bring people-centred budgeting back to the fore. Others question whether he will regain full authority over appointments and the machinery of state after months of centralised rule.

Civil society groups warn that quiet streets do not equal durable peace. They are urging the incoming administration to publish detailed financials, audit emergency-era contracts, and, if necessary, replace the outgoing spending plan with a fresh budget anchored on service delivery, transparency, and value for money.