By Suleiman Anyalewechi
A chieftain of the troubled Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and one time Deputy National Chairman of the Party, Chief Olabode George, on Friday, April 11, cautioned the Rivers State appointed Sole Administrator, Vice Marshall Ibok- Ete Ibas, to resist the temptation of getting ” drowned in the murky waters of the State’s politics.
In a statement, George, himself a retired Naval Commodore, insisted that Ibas must apply the brake in his series of unconstitutional moves, particularly, the dismantling and re-appointment of legally constituted Governmental structures.
George’s cautionary note is coming on the heels of Ibas’s appointment of Interim Officials for the 23 Local Councils of the State, as well as the reconstitution of the Rivers state Independent Electoral Commission RSIEC and other parastatals.
Particularly, the PDP Board of Trustee member took serious exception to the Administrator’s appointment of Interim Council Chairmen in complete disobedience of a subsisting restraining court order.
The Source reports that Ibas announced the appointment of the Council Chairmen on Wednesday, April 9, amidst a Court order issued on Tuesday April 8, by a Port Harcourt Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Adamu Turaki Muhammad.
In fact, to further undermine the Court order, the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, in a circular, stated that the appointment, though made on Wednesday 9 ,was to take effect on Monday April 7.
But reacting to the development, Chief George warned his professional colleague against getting consumed by an inferno less in intensity than the one he withered in his over three decades of service as a Naval officer.
“I want to warn Admiral Ibas. If you act against the spirit of the Constitution, you will be held responsible.
“Your appointment is for six months. Even if the President extends it, you will still leave one day because nobody elected you. Your position as Sole Administrator is not legally recognized”, Chief George stated.
He maintained that in the eyes of the law, Siminalayi Fubara remains the Governor of Rivers State, with the power to undo all the appointments which Ibas is presently making.
According to him, the duties of the Administrator do not include making far-reaching political appointments as he is currently doing.
“What happens to those appointments when you leave office on September 18 ? Why are you flouting a valid Court order ? Did you receive approval from the National Assembly to reconstitute the Boards?
“Do you now wield both executive and legislative powers in Rivers State? You have no legal right to appoint anyone.
This is not a military regime.
“The Constitution is still in force .Those using you now will throw you under the bus once you leave office.
“You behaved honourably as a Naval officer. Don’t let unconstitutional actions stain your record. You did not drown in the Navy; don’t let politics drown you legally and politically. Now is the time to apply the brakes”, Chief George noted.
The PDP chieftain’s position also comes the same time the Nigerian Bar Association NBA relocated its 2025 Annual General Conference out of Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, in protest against the imposition of a state of emergency.
In a statement issued late on Thursday evening, April 10, the NBA national leadership noted that holding the all-important Conference in the State, will amount to tacitly endorsing the illegal State of Emergency in place.
The body has chosen Enugu State as an alternative for the Conference.
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