Prominent environmental activist and rights advocate, Annkio Briggs, has voiced the growing frustration among residents of Rivers State over the ongoing state of emergency, saying the people are “not happy” but remain hopeful it will end by October 1.
Speaking on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, Briggs criticised the federal government’s imposition of direct rule over the state following a prolonged political crisis that led to the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Oduh, and the entire Rivers State House of Assembly in March 2025.
“We are still not happy,” Briggs said. “But we’re watching to see how this all ends up by the 1st of October.”
President Bola Tinubu had appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as sole administrator of the state, replacing the elected leadership for an initial six-month period. The move followed months of political wrangling, particularly between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, current FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
Briggs questioned the transparency and accountability of the current administration in the state under emergency rule.
“Almost four months now, nobody is really accounting for what is going on. The people of Rivers State are at the receiving end,” she said.
Despite a peace meeting in June between President Tinubu, Wike, Fubara, and suspended lawmakers, which ended with public assurances that all parties had reconciled, Briggs insisted that the situation on the ground remains unchanged.
“Well, it has not,” she replied when asked if the political climate in Rivers had improved since the talks.
The activist also criticised Wike’s perceived continued influence over the state.
“Wike does not want to see himself as a former governor but rather wants to see himself as someone who should be in control of the governance of Rivers State,” she alleged.
With the state now approaching the October 1 deadline for the lifting of emergency rule, residents and political observers are watching closely to see if constitutional governance will be restored — or if the federal government will extend the controversial measure.
