Tinubu meets Rivers new administrator Ibas at Aso Villa

Barely 24 hours after declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State, President Bola Tinubu has met with Vice Admiral Ibok-Étè Ibas, the sole administrator appointed to oversee the state’s affairs.  

Ibas arrived at the Presidential Villa at approximately 12:48 pm (local time) for discussions with the president. This follows Tinubu’s decision on Tuesday to suspend Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for an initial six-month period.

In a national address, Tinubu justified the emergency declaration by citing prolonged political instability, constitutional breaches, and security concerns in the oil-rich state.

The crisis, which has disrupted governance, is rooted in a fierce power struggle between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who currently serves as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

As part of the directive, the President also appointed Ibas as the sole administrator to oversee the state’s affairs until normalcy is restored.

Ibas served as Chief of Naval Staff from 2015 to 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Tinubu announced, “In the circumstance, having soberly reflected on and evaluated the political situation in Rivers State the governor and deputy governor of Rivers State has failed to make a request to me as President to issue this proclamation as required by section 305(5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, it has become inevitably compelling for me to invoke the provision of section 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State with effect from today, March 18, 2025 and I so do.

“By this declaration, the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State are hereby suspended for an initial period of six months.

“In the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (retd.) as Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state in the interest of the good people of Rivers State. For the avoidance of doubt, this declaration does not affect the judicial arm of Rivers State, which shall continue to function in accordance with their constitutional mandate.”