President Bola Tinubu is currently holding a meeting with Vice Admiral Ibok-Étè Ibas (retd.), the recently appointed sole administrator of Rivers State, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
This meeting follows Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in the state less than 24 hours ago.
Ibas arrived at the Villa around 12:48 p.m. (local time) after being assigned to oversee the governance of Rivers State.
His appointment came after the president suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected lawmakers in the state assembly for an initial period of six months.
During a national address on Tuesday, Tinubu justified the emergency measures by pointing to prolonged political instability, constitutional breaches, and security threats.
The crisis in Rivers has been fueled by an ongoing dispute between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, which has significantly disrupted governance.
To manage the situation, the president appointed Ibas, a former Chief of Naval Staff who served from 2015 to 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, to oversee the state’s affairs until normalcy is restored.
Explaining his decision, Tinubu stated: “After careful reflection on the political situation in Rivers State, and given that neither the governor nor the deputy governor requested my intervention as stipulated under Section 305(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), I find it imperative to invoke Section 305 to declare a state of emergency in the state, effective March 18, 2025.”
“With this declaration, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly are suspended for an initial period of six months.”
“To ensure continuity in governance, I have appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Étè Ibas (retd.) as the sole administrator to oversee the affairs of the state in the interest of the people of Rivers. However, this declaration does not affect the judiciary, which will continue to function as mandated by the Constitution.”
Details later.
,%20the%20recently%20appointed%20sole%20administrator%20of%20Rivers%20State,%20at%20the%20Presidential%20Villa%20in%20Abuja.){kind=link}