Key Points:
- Rivers lawmakers meet again after six long months. The gap followed emergency rule in the state.
- Speaker Martin Amaewhule chairs the first sitting today. The hall sits inside the legislative residential complex.
- Residents cheer the wider return to civil rule. Crowds sing and dance in Port Harcourt.
Rivers State House of Assembly is back in session. Lawmakers filed into the hall this morning. The room felt tight and tense yet calm. Many wore firm looks and spoke in low tones.
Speaker Martin Amaewhule called the house to order. He took his seat at the front row. Members stood, then sat, and checked their files. Work began in the short, brisk style.
What happened today
The sitting comes after a six-month long pause. President Bola Tinubu ended emergency rule last night. He asked all suspended office holders to return. Duties resume from today across the state.
The plenary holds at the legislative quarters. It sits along the Aba–Port Harcourt Expressway. That site has served the house for months. Security watched each turn and gate.
Meanwhile, residents poured onto key streets nearby. Drums, songs, and flags filled the air. Supporters gathered close to Government House with joy. They waited for the governor’s first drive.
How we got here
The President declared the emergency on March 18. He suspended the governor, the deputy, and lawmakers. A retired navy chief ran the state in the gap. Critics sued, but courts kept hearing the fights.
Yesterday he lifted the order after new talks. He said leaders now show signs of peace. He set today for the full restart. Normal rule returns across offices in Rivers.
Elsewhere in Lagos, police opened a fresh probe. A hostel video of boys smoking drew outrage. Read the latest update on that probe here via our post on the viral hostel video of smoking students.
In wider national news, trade headlines also moved. Nigeria’s giant refinery sent petrol to New York. Catch the details in our report on theDangote refinery export milestone.
