Politics
Tinubu cut short vacation over Rivers emergency rule expiry, UNGA session – sources
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday returned to Abuja ahead of schedule, cutting short his working vacation in France and the United Kingdom, which was originally slated to end on September 19.
The presidential jet, Air Force 001, touched down at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at about 6:50 p.m. local time.
Sources said Tinubu’s early return is linked to pressing national and international matters, chief among them the impending expiration of the six-month state of emergency imposed on Rivers State, and preparations for the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The emergency rule in Rivers, declared on March 18, followed a protracted political crisis between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike.
With the situation spiralling into violence, including the sabotage of oil installations, Tinubu suspended normal governance structures and appointed former Chief of Naval Staff, Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, as sole administrator.
That mandate lapses on Thursday, leaving the president to decide whether to extend the emergency or restore democratic governance in line with Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution. Legal experts remain divided on how the transition should unfold.
One view argues that Governor Fubara, having been suspended rather than impeached, can resume without a fresh oath of office, with the sole administrator simply handing power back to the state’s Secretary to the Government or Head of Service before Fubara’s return.
Others insist Tinubu must follow precedent, as seen under former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, who both issued nationwide broadcasts and signed decrees formally lifting states of emergency.
Beyond domestic concerns, sources in the Presidency say Tinubu’s early return also allows him to prepare for UNGA 80, where the high-level General Debate opens on September 23 in New York. By protocol, the president is expected to depart Abuja two days before the session begins.
Tinubu, who has sought to project Nigeria as a stabilising force in West Africa while managing domestic crises, is thus set for a crowded schedule both at home and abroad.
