By Suleiman Anyalewechi
The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas, has appointed Administrators for the 23 Local Councils of the State.
The appointment comes less than a day after a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt issued an order restraining Admiral Ibas from appointing interim leadership for the Councils until the hearing and determination of a motion on notice before it.
The Source reports that the leadership of the Councils became vacant following the sacking of the Governor Siminalayi Fubara-supervised democratically elected Council Chairmen and Councillors in its February 28,2025 verdict on the political crisis in the State.
The statutory revenues accruing to the Councils from the monthly Federation Allocation were also stopped until the conduct of a fresh poll to elect Council Officials.
Ruling on an ex-parte motion filed by a civil society group, the Pilex Centre for Civic Education on Tuesday April 8,2025 Justice Adamu Turaki Muhammad held that there were sufficient grounds to grant the prayers of the applicants.
The Centre led by Courage Msirimovu had, in its motion filed on March 28,2025, sought an order of the Court, restraining the Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Marshall Ibas, from taking any steps towards appointing Interim Chairmen and other officials for Local Government Areas until the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
Consequently, Justice Muhammad restrained the “Rivers state Administrators either by himself,or his agents from appointing Sole Administrators ,or by whatever name called ,for the 23 LGAs pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”
The court adjourned to April 14, 2025, for the hearing of the substantive suit.
The Pilex Centre had, in its application, argued that its motion was primarily to prevent the Rivers state Sole Administrator from appointing persons loyal to the Federal Capital Territory FCT Minister Nyesom Wike as Council Interim Officials .
Wike and Governor Fubara have been embroiled in a long drawn feud over the control of Rivers State political structure ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The group further held that Wike, so far, has been the sole beneficiary of the state of emergency proclaimed in the state by President Bola Tinubu, noting that it. aims to stop Marshall Ibas from further handing over the Local Councils to individuals loyal to the FCT Minister.
But a Special Government Announcement issued on Wednesday morning, April 9, 2025, by Prof Ibibia Worika, the Secretary to the State Government informed that Ibas has also approved the reconstitution of some Boards of Agencies ,Commissions and Parastatals which were earlier suspended.
According to the statement all appointments, including those of the Interim Council Officials took effect from Monday ,April 7,2025.
“His Excellency, the Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral (Rtd) Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, has approved the appointments of Administrators for the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers state.
“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”, the circular reads.
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