The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), is facing fierce backlash after sacking the 23 local government area (LGA) caretakers and the chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), Justice Adolphus Enebeli (retd.).
In their place, Ibas appointed new administrators across the 23 LGAs and named Dr. Michael Odey as the new RSIEC chairman, with a team that includes four professors. This action comes amid a Federal High Court order in Port Harcourt summoning Ibas to justify the legality of his actions.
“The Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral (retd.) Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas CFR, has approved the appointments of Administrators for the 23 local government areas of Rivers State,” said a statement by Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Ibibia Worika.
The move has sparked outrage. Governor Siminilayi Fubara’s Special Adviser on Electronic Media, Jerry Omatsogunwa, called the development “impunity taken too far,” stating, “He is now a lord unto himself, and we cannot have that in a democratic setting.”
Ambassador Godknows Igali, PANDEF’s National Chairman, also condemned the sweeping decisions. “More troubling is the unbelievable level of dismantling… all the institutions of democracy,” he wrote in a letter to Ibas. “This is not the purpose for which you were sent here.”
Civil society and elder statesmen are raising alarms. Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe described the situation as “a coup,” arguing that Ibas’ appointment lacks constitutional backing. “The man who is appointing them has no locus… it’s null and void,” he said.
The Rivers Emancipation Movement also threatened mass action, alleging the appointees are loyalists of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. “This decision is a brazen violation of the Nigerian constitution,” said the group’s president, Solomon Tamunotonye.
However, not all oppose the move. House Minority Leader and member representing Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency, Kingsley Chinda, defended Ibas, saying, “The administrator has done nothing in breach of Section 305 of the Constitution.”