Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has assured that President Bola Tinubu will end the state of emergency in Rivers State as soon as stability is restored.
In an interview with The Nation newspaper, Idris stated that Tinubu remains committed to reinstating democratic governance in the state.
“As soon as he assesses that sanity has returned to Rivers State, he will ensure the restoration of all democratic structures in that state,” he said.
He further emphasized the urgency of the situation, adding that “the president will not wait a minute longer than necessary.”
Dismissing speculations about hidden motives behind the emergency declaration, Idris maintained that the decision was made purely in the interest of restoring order.
“The president has no intention whatsoever to take over the governance of Rivers State. He has no intention to be or to appoint a governor for Rivers State,” he said.
According to the minister, the breakdown of governance in Rivers necessitated the president’s intervention. He described the action as “a very responsible but very painful” decision made “in line with constitutional provisions.”
“The way democracy is designed in this country is that the three arms of government must work together, and one will be checking the other,” Idris explained.
“So, we cannot have just the executive functioning and say we have a functional democracy. We didn’t have that, and therefore, the president had to act.”
The emergency rule, declared last week, led to the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and all members of the state assembly, with retired naval chief Ibok-Ete Ibas appointed as the sole administrator.
