By Agboola Aluko, GLiDE NEWS
I n a controversial move, the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), has approved the appointment of administrators for all 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state, barely 24 hours after a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt issued a restraining order against such action.
The court order, delivered by Justice Adam Muhammed on Tuesday in Suit No. FHC/PH/CS/46/2025, came in response to a suit filed by the PILEX Centre for Civic Education Initiative, led by civic advocate Courage Msirimovu. The suit challenged Ibas’s authority to install administrators in the absence of elected local council officials.
Nonetheless, the state government proceeded with the appointments, as confirmed in a Special Government Announcement released Wednesday morning by the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Ibibia Worika.
The statement, while not disclosing the names of the appointees, noted that the appointments took effect from Monday, April 7, 2025. It also confirmed the reconstitution of several boards, agencies, commissions, and parastatals which had previously been suspended under the current administration.
“His Excellency The Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral (Rtd) Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas CFR, has approved the appointments of administrators for the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State,” the statement read.
“He has also approved the reconstitution of some boards of agencies, commissions, and parastatals earlier suspended. All appointments take effect from Monday, the 7th of April 2025.”
This development adds to a series of sweeping decisions made by the sole administrator in recent weeks. Last week, all heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) were suspended with immediate effect.
In a separate announcement, Ibas also cancelled all ongoing procurement and tender processes executed by MDAs. Citing the absence of an appropriation law and referencing a recent Supreme Court judgment, the administrator directed all MDAs to refund any collected tender fees to the respective contractors.
The unfolding situation is expected to spark further legal and political scrutiny, especially in light of the court injunction and broader governance concerns in the state.
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