Claim:  Former President Obasanjo advised Governor Fubara to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State

Verdict: False

Background

A viral post  has been making the rounds on social media, particularly on X (formerly Twitter), that the former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo,has advised the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, to declare a state of emergency in the state and shut down the Rivers State House of Assembly  to  prevent his impeachment.

The claim, which was posted on social media by an X user with the username 

@PH_Socials further indicated that the former President advised the  Rivers State on how to handle President Bola Tinubu and the former governor of the state, NysomeWike, in the ongoing political feud in the state during his visit to the state.

The claim fully reads “OBJ BLOWS HOT.

“Shutdown Rivers Assembly. Declare State of Emergency in Rivers State – Obasanjo Visits SIM Fubara 

“Withdraw security personnel from all Rivers Assembly members. Shut down NNPC, shut down NDDC, and dismantle any forces that may rise against you.

“You are the governor, elected by the people. You are the Chief Security Officer of Rivers State. What you order stands—neither Tinubu nor Wike put you in power. Demolish any hall or arena set to host your impeachment. Tinubu needs Rivers’s votes to win the 2027 election, and you stand in his way.

“Stop playing U.S. politics in a country like this—there is no law here, everything is lawless. Obasanjo Visits Sim Fubara and advises Him on How to Handle Wike and Tinubu”.

The claim has garnered 1,700 retweets,  4,800 likes and 678 comments.

This comes against the backdrop of an ongoing political feud in Rivers State between the Governor and members of the House of Assembly loyal to former state governor Nysome Wike, led by Martin Amaewhule.

Yesterday, the twenty-six lawmakers made a move to impeach the governorbased on a 19-count allegation, in which the lawmakers accused the governor of unconstitutionally obstructing legislative activities, reckless and unconscionable spending of state funds, and appointment of people to positions with assembly approval.

The state has consequently been left in a state of uncertainty regarding the political actors’ next course of action.  Meanwhile, the claim can further stir political tension in the state, hence the need to check the veracity of the claim.

Verification 

To check the veracity of the claim, NDR conducted a keyword search on the visitation of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and to further check whether he advised Governor Fubara to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State.

The result of our keyword search indicated that no reputable media platform reported a visit of the former president to the Rivers State Governor. We also observed that no media platform reported the claim made by the X user that the former President asked Governor Fubara to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State.

Meanwhile, a further check revealed that the Rivers State government has written a press statement to debunk the claim that the former president visited the governorand advised him on the next actions to take.

In the press statement published here, the Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Nelson Chukwudi, said the claim was only intended to create chaos and anarchy in the state.

The statement reads, “Our attention has been drawn to a malicious post circulating on social media, claiming that a delegation of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum paid a solidarity visit on Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, in Government House on Sunday, March 16, 2025. There is also another planted by some people bent on causing chaos and anarchy in the state alleging that former President Olusegun Obasanjo, paid a visit to the Governor in Government House, Port Harcourt.

“Ordinarily, we would not have responded to these spurious claims and obvious fake news on social media, but for the erroneous impression they may create on the minds of gullible and unsuspecting members of the public, and indeed, well-meaning Rivers people. For that reason, let it be clarified that there was no such visit by any delegation of PANDEF to Governor Fubara on the said date, neither did Chief Obasanjo visit him as claimed by our detractors.

“So, whatever the purveyors of the vexatious narratives are pushing on social media are only the imagination of enemies of the state, who do not want peace, good governance and even development that the present administration has been working hard to bequeath to the present and future generations. The governor has made it abundantly clear that he would comply and implement, to the fullest, the judgment of the Supreme Court on the political crisis in the State.

“He has already initiated processes to ensure that orders of the apex court are implemented, but the Rivers State House of Assembly has refused to cooperate with the governor to facilitate the resolution of all issues raised by the court. As stated earlier, the governor is ready any day, any time to do the needful to ensure the resolution of the issues and smooth functioning of all arms of government in the state.”

Conclusion

Therefore, based on the available evidence, the claim that former President Obasanjo visited Governor Fubara and advised him to declare a state of emergency in the state is false.