Rivers State Sole Administrator Defies Court Order, Appoints LGA Heads
Tensions in Rivers State have intensified as Sole Administrator Ibok-Ete Ibas appointed new heads for the state’s 23 local government areas, just hours after a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt barred him from doing so.
The appointments, announced in a statement by Secretary to the State Government Ibibia Worika, took effect from April 7. The statement also confirmed the reconstitution of various boards and commissions previously dissolved. Among the new LGA administrators are Okroiyobi Animiete, Goodluck Iheanacho, Promise Jacob, Tamunotonye Peters, and Gloria Obo-Dibiah.
This move marks the latest chapter in Rivers State’s deepening political crisis. On March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the state, citing ongoing political instability and rampant vandalism of oil facilities. As part of that directive, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all state assembly members were suspended for an initial six-month period.
Following his appointment, Ibas—a retired naval officer—swiftly suspended all political appointees installed by the Fubara administration. His latest action, however, comes in direct defiance of a court order, raising concerns over the legality and constitutionality of his decisions.
Before the emergency declaration, Fubara had asked all elected LGA chairpersons to hand over to interim administrators, following a Supreme Court ruling that invalidated the October 2024 local government elections. Ibas’ new appointments appear to be a continuation of that directive, but now under controversial circumstances.
The unfolding situation continues to draw public scrutiny, with legal experts and political observers questioning the federal government’s involvement and the implications of governing under emergency rule.
