By Adesina Soyooye
The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas, has refuted the viral report that he summoned suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara and his Deputy, Dr. Ngozi Ordu to appear before him for any probe or explanations whatsoever.
“Nowhere did I ever summon His Excellency, Governor Fubara, for any probe”, Ibas said in a statement released Wednesday, 16th April evening which he, personally issued.
The disturbing report which attracted strong condemnations of Ibas went viral Tuesday morning. The report attracted reactions from a cross section of Nigerians including Activist Professor of Law, Chidi Odinkalu and Human Rights Lawyer, Barrister Inebehe Effiong.
While Odinkalu described the summons as a dangerous abuse of power, and stated that “it is quite evident that these bandits are on a lawless mission to impunity, Inebehe
dismissed the summons as “silly and ridiculous” and urged Fubara to ignore it.
The purported summons said to have emanated from a special announcement by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Professor Lucky Worika, asked Fubara and Ordu to appear before Ibas and justify all the appointments made since 2023 as well as explain why he thinks he should be reinstated as the State Governor.
Why the Rivers State Government did not immediately refute the story as soon as it surfaced on both Social and conventional Media Platforms, and went viral, is not known. But in the refutal, Ibas also debunked another report that he had appointed Mr Chidi Lloyd and Samuel Ishi Nwanosike to any Government office.
Ibas, also, clarified that the Local Government Area Sole Administrators he appointed in defiance of a Court order, have not been administered their oaths of office.
To stem the tide, Ibas said he has ordered an investigation into the source of the series of fake reports attributed to him and his office.
The statement, titled REFUTAL, reads:
“Nowhere did I ever summon His Excellency, Governor Fubara for any probe.
“Nowhere did I ever appoint Mr Chidi Lloyd and Samuel Ishi Nwanosike into any Rivers Government office.
“I have ordered investigations into all the series of online releases making the rounds about unfounded appointments coming from me.
“The LGA Sole Administrators have yet to be administered their oaths of office.”
Ibas was appointed the Sole Administrator of Rivers State on March 18 by President Bola Tinubu following the very bitter political crisis which engulfed the State – a product of the power struggle between Fubara and his estranged political godfather and predecessor, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
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