Legal practitioner Liborous Oshoma has argued that politicians have failed to learn from the six-month state of emergency in Rivers State, which President Bola Tinubu lifted, reinstating Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and the state assembly as of September 18, 2025.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, on Wednesday 17 September 2025, Oshoma called the emergency declaration unfair, noting it targeted a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-controlled state amid a feud between Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now Federal Capital Territory Minister with ties to both PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He suggested the move might have been viewed as more equitable if applied to an APC state facing similar executive-legislative tensions, pointing to perceived political bias given Tinubu’s APC leadership. Oshoma argued the crisis, which crippled governance and led to the suspension of elected officials under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, could have been managed without ousting the governor and assembly.

“The President can declare a state of emergency without having to sack a duly elected government,” he said, proposing security deployments like police or military to maintain order instead. He highlighted the Rivers situation—where 27 assembly members opposed Fubara while four supported him—was not unique but escalated to a constitutional impasse, stalling budgets and fueling unrest.

The emergency, declared on March 18, 2025, followed governance paralysis and vandalism of oil assets, with retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas appointed as sole administrator.

Oshoma noted widespread criticism of the move as unconstitutional, with over 40 related lawsuits filed, and argued the crisis mirrored political disputes nationwide, questioning why Rivers was singled out. He welcomed the restoration but cautioned that without addressing underlying rivalries, similar conflicts could resurface.