The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral (Rtd) Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, has approved the appointment of administrators for the state’s 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs), alongside the reconstitution of previously suspended boards of agencies, commissions, and parastatals.
The appointments, which take effect from Monday, April 7, 2025, were announced in a Special Government Announcement released on Wednesday by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Ibibia Worika.
This development comes amid mounting legal and political tensions in the state, with a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt having earlier barred Ibas from making such appointments.
Justice Adamu Turaki Mohammed issued an interim injunction in Suit No. FHC/PH/CS/46/2025, filed by PILEX Centre for Civic Education Initiative led by Courage Msirimovu. The order restrains the Sole Administrator and his agents from appointing sole administrators—under any designation—to oversee the LGAs. The court granted the motion ex parte filed on March 28, and has fixed April 14 for a substantive hearing.
The appointments are the latest twist in a protracted political power tussle in Rivers State, which has intensified since the expiration of the tenure of local council chairmen originally elected under former Governor Nyesom Wike. Though their terms ended in June 2023, the chairmen secured what they described as a term extension from 27 defected lawmakers loyal to Wike.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who succeeded Wike, had dissolved the councils and appointed caretaker chairmen, triggering a fierce contest for control of the local government structures—widely regarded as critical to grassroots political dominance.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) went on to conduct local government elections on October 5, 2024. However, the Wike-aligned faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC), led by Tony Okocha, challenged the process in court. Despite the litigation, the elections proceeded.
Following a Supreme Court ruling on February 28, 2025, which sided with the Wike-backed APC, Governor Fubara nullified the results and directed heads of local council administrations to assume control until fresh elections are held. This move further escalated the crisis, prompting legal threats and political backlash from the Wike camp.
Amid the chaos, Fubara’s supporters have accused Ibas of attempting to sidestep constitutional provisions by appointing administrators to the LGAs without lawful backing—an action now under judicial scrutiny.
Despite a state of emergency declared by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on March 18 to restore order in the state, the crisis remains unresolved. With the court hearing scheduled for next week and political factions refusing to back down, the Rivers political drama appears far from over.
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