President Bola Tinubu has sworn in Vice Admiral Ibok-Étè Ibas (retd.) as the sole administrator of Rivers State
The swearing-in took place at about 3:00 p.m. at the State House, Abuja, in the presence of Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, Attorney General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and Principal Secretary to the President Hakeem Muri-Okunola.
Ibas arrived at the Presidential Villa at approximately 12:48 p.m. before the brief ceremony.
The appointment follows Tinubu’s Tuesday night declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers, which led to the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the State House of Assembly for six months.
In a national address, Tinubu cited prolonged political instability, constitutional breaches, and security threats as reasons for the extraordinary measure. The crisis stems from a power struggle between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
The President justified his decision by invoking Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, stating that Fubara and his deputy failed to formally request federal intervention.
“To safeguard the interests of the good people of Rivers State,” Tinubu said, “I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibok-Étè Ibas (retd.) as Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state.”
Ibas, who served as Chief of Naval Staff from 2015 to 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, will oversee state governance until normalcy is restored. However, Tinubu clarified that the state’s judicial arm remains unaffected and will continue functioning as mandated by the Constitution.
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