By editor
As the State of Emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu clocks one month,Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) has asked Tinubu to remove the Sole Administrator for Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-ete Ibas (rtd.), for breach of presidential order.
Falana said that the retired naval chief contravened the orders contained in the Official Gazette dated March 18, 2025, and titled, ‘State of Emergency (Rivers State) Proclamation, 2025.
According to Falana , the gazette, stated very clearly that the sole administrator “shall operate on the basis of such Regulations that may, from time to time, be issued by me (Tinubu).”
“It is common knowledge that President Bola Tinubu has not issued any Regulation for the operation of the Sole Administrator. But, the Sole Administrator has made appointments and removed officials appointed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
“By treating the orders of President Bola Tinubu with contempt, the Sole Administrator has compounded the illegality of his appointment. The Sole Administrator ought to be removed without any further delay,”
Tinubu announced a State of Emergency in Rivers State on March 18,2025 and appointed Ibas as Rivers sole administrator after announcing the suspension of Governor Siminilayi Fubara and others
Quoting Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, as enabler of the emergency rule, the president cited an oil pipeline explosion and a razed section of the House of Assembly complex as reason for taking the action he took.
But while the president’s decision came to many Nigerians as a shock and condemned, the President never bothered as he went ahead and inaugurated Ibas at the presidential villa before the National Assembly’s approval.
Worried by the unconstitutional and provocative actions taken by the sole administrator, the House of Representatives set up a committee to oversight the sole administrator.
As a follow up, the Ad-Hoc Committee of the House of Representatives on Rivers State summoned Ibas for “comprehensive interactive session” in Abuja on Thursday, however, the meeting was postponed to a later date.
Ibas,a native of Cross River State was the Chief of Naval Staff from 2015 to 2021. .
