By Eshiorameh Sebastian, Abuja
Niger Delta rights activist Ann-Kio Briggs has demanded that Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara publicly disclose the full terms of the agreement he made with President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, which ended the six-month emergency rule in the state.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Briggs insisted that the people of Rivers State have a right to know the details of the political arrangement that restored their elected governor.
She warned that without transparency, Governor Fubara risks losing the trust and confidence of the public.
Briggs expressed strong disapproval of political leaders making agreements behind the backs of the citizens they represent.
She stated, “I think it’s not acceptable when politicians make these agreements over our heads; it’s like shaving the head of someone behind their back.”
She emphasised that the people of Rivers State have borne the heaviest burden during the political instability and deserve to understand how the decisions made will impact their future.
“We are the people who have paid the greatest price in all of these things, and to not be aware of the decision which will affect us, and therefore, we can’t gauge the extent to which these decisions will affect us, it becomes very difficult to flow with the politicians,” Briggs explained.
She described the current situation as “just an impossible situation where we have found ourselves,” adding, “We don’t know what the President has insisted on, we don’t know what was agreed upon, and where that leads the people of Rivers State. So, we need to know what was agreed on.”
In addition to calling for transparency around the peace deal, Briggs also joined growing demands for the former Sole Administrator of the state, retired Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, to provide a full account of how state funds were managed during the six-month emergency period.
She stressed that the money spent during this time belonged to the people of Rivers State and that its expenditure must be accounted for publicly.
Governor Fubara was reinstated on September 17, 2025, following the conclusion of the emergency rule declared by President Tinubu on March 18, 2025. The declaration had led to the suspension of Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the state House of Assembly. Admiral Ibas was sworn in to manage the state’s affairs during the period and handed power back to the governor last Wednesday. Fubara’s return to the Government House in Port Harcourt was met with jubilation from supporters and residents.
Background to the Political Crisis
The political turmoil in Rivers State has its roots in a bitter falling out between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The dispute began mere months after Fubara was inaugurated in May 2023 and centred on a struggle for political control of the state.
The rift quickly escalated and spilled over into the state’s House of Assembly, causing a deep division among lawmakers and leading to a period of significant legislative paralysis and instability. The escalating crisis prompted President Bola Tinubu to intervene.
In June 2025, President Tinubu held a closed-door meeting at the Presidential Villa with the key figures involved: Governor Fubara, Minister Wike, and Martin Amaewhule, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly. The meeting was widely reported as a reconciliation effort, and afterwards, Wike announced that he and his successor had agreed to work together for peace. However, he pointedly refused to disclose any details of the agreement, telling journalists, “I will allow you to speculate; it’s not my business. All I know is that peace has come. If you are not satisfied with that, there is nothing we can do. What is important is that peace has returned; whatever thing anybody says is not my business.”
Similarly, in a subsequent statewide broadcast, Governor Fubara acknowledged the president’s intervention and stated that the actors had “agreed to bury the hatchet and embrace peace,” but also did not reveal the specific terms of the deal.
Despite this public show of unity, the underlying tensions persisted, contributing to the circumstances that led President Tinubu to take the drastic step of declaring a state of emergency in March 2025, citing prolonged political instability that threatened the governance of the oil-rich state. The declaration paved the way for six months of administration under a sole administrator, a period that has now ended but leaves behind urgent questions about accountability and the future of political stability in Rivers State.
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