THE Rivers State Sole Administrator, Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired Vice Admiral, has approved the appointment of administrators for the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.
The action came after a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt blocked Ibas from appointing administrators to manage the 23 local government areas, citing a breach of the constitution.
The court ruling, delivered by Adam Muhammed on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in suit No. FHC/PH/CS/46/2025 came after the PILEX Centre for Civic Education Initiative, led by Courage Msirimovu, filed a lawsuit against Ibas.
Despite the court ruling, Ibas announced appointments of administrators for the local governments.
The Sole Administrator also endorsed the constitution of some boards of agencies, commissions, and parastatals, which he had earlier suspended.
The appointments were announced by Secretary to the State Government Ibibia Worika, a professor, in a government announcement on Wednesday, April 9.
The ICIR reported that President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State in March 2025 due to prolonged political instability and appointed Ibas as the Sole Administrator.
The move came after months of tensions between the embattled governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Tinubu, in a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, March 18, announced that he had forwarded the decision to the National Assembly by constitutional provisions.
Tinubu cited prolonged political instability in the state as the reason for his decision, vowing to restore governance, peace, and security.
In approving the emergency rule, the Senate joined the House of Representatives, which earlier endorsed the decision through a voice vote on Thursday, March 20.
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance