As mixed reactions continue to trail the end of the six-month State of Emergency imposed by President Bola Tinubu on Rivers State, the Presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) in 2023 Peter Obi, has described the emergency rule 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. -PO.”
On March 18, 2025, Tinubu had 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, leading to an inability to pass budgets or access funds, bringing governance to a halt.
The Supreme Court later declared that “there was no government in Rivers State”, and the President thereafter appointed retired Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as Sole Administrator for the six months.
