Following the end of emergency rule in Rivers State declared by President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, political debate has shifted to the six-month tenure of Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (retd).
Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly formally returned to office on Thursday. Tinubu had suspended them on March 18, 2025, after declaring a state of emergency over the protracted political crisis between Fubara and his predecessor, now FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
The suspension drew controversy, with critics arguing the president lacked constitutional powers to remove a sitting governor. Some analysts also said the Senate’s approval failed to meet the constitutional requirement of a two-thirds majority of lawmakers. The Ijaw Youth Council, Eastern Zone, even challenged the suspension at the ECOWAS Court of Justice. Both the ECOWAS case and a related Supreme Court challenge remain undecided.
At a lecture in Port Harcourt this week, Ibas said his core mandate was to restore stability. “By the grace of God and with the cooperation of all stakeholders, we have come this far,” he said, citing the August 30 local government election as evidence of restored peace. His view was supported by Rivers APC publicity secretary, Ikenga Chibike, who told DAILY POST there was “absolute peace in the state.”
But opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party, and African Democratic Congress, have demanded an inquiry into how state funds were managed under Ibas. ADC state chairman, Leader Sampson, told DAILY POST the former administrator “needs to give account of everything that happened within his six months in Rivers State,” including internally generated revenue and federal allocations.
However, PDP chieftain Austin Okai argued Fubara lacked the political will to pursue such a probe, saying “probing Ibas is like probing Wike and President Tinubu’s government.”
Despite the doubts, the Rivers State House of Assembly has resolved to investigate the state’s finances during the period of emergency rule.
Speaker Martins Amaewhule presided over Thursday’s plenary, where lawmakers also urged Governor Fubara to submit a list of commissioner nominees for screening.
