Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has indicated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is unlikely to extend the emergency rule in Rivers State, as the state prepares for local government elections scheduled for August 30, 2025.

Speaking during his monthly press briefing in Abuja on Monday, Wike revealed that President Tinubu’s recent directive mandating the conduct of elections within 30 days was designed to restore democratic governance at the grassroots level and avert the extension of emergency rule.

“The President, in his wisdom to bring peace and restore democratic governance in local government, came again with another regulation… that this election must be conducted within 30 days because, from my understanding, he does not want to extend the emergency rule,” Wike said.

Recall that President Tinubu had earlier declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara for six months, citing political instability and governance breakdown. The move stirred debate across political circles and legal quarters, with some questioning its constitutional legitimacy.

Wike, however, defended the measure, arguing that without the emergency rule and accompanying regulatory modifications, local governments in the state would not have been able to access funds from the Federation Account.

“If the governor cannot appoint a caretaker committee, as ruled by the Supreme Court, and there’s no election, the local governments can’t access funds. That alone creates crisis,” he noted.

He clarified that the emergency rule gave the President temporary powers to modify aspects of existing laws, including provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act, to enable the appointment of sole administrators pending elections.

“Emergency rule allows the President to make regulations. That is what he has done modifying laws temporarily to ensure the local governments function,” Wike added.

Responding to criticism of the emergency rule’s legality, Wike challenged opponents to seek judicial interpretation instead of media commentary.

“When the state of emergency was declared, people claimed it was illegal. But how many of them have taken it to court? Advocacy should be in the courtroom, not on television,” he said.

He also dismissed allegations that his loyalists were being strategically placed to win the upcoming elections.

“I don’t know who has defined who my loyalists are. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse,” Wike responded.

Emphasising the Supreme Court’s position that only democratically elected local governments can receive federal allocations, Wike said the emergency rule and the forthcoming elections are vital to avoiding a constitutional and fiscal crisis in the state.

The scheduled August 30 elections are expected to pave the way for the lifting of the emergency rule and a return to full constitutional governance in Rivers State.