Less than 24 hours after declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State, President Bola Tinubu is meeting with Vice Admiral Ibok-Étè Ibas (retd.), the newly appointed sole administrator of the state, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Ibas arrived at the State House around 12:48 p.m., where he is set to receive an official briefing from the president about his new responsibilities.
On Tuesday evening, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Prof. Ngozi Odu, and all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for an initial period of six months.
The president justified this extraordinary measure due to ongoing political instability, constitutional breaches, and security threats, stressing its necessity to restore order in the oil-rich state. The unrest has been largely driven by a power struggle between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
As part of the emergency actions, Tinubu appointed Vice Admiral Ibas (retd.) to oversee the state’s administration until normalcy is restored. Ibas, who served as Chief of Naval Staff from 2015 to 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, is expected to navigate the state through this transitional phase.
In his national address, Tinubu explained his decision, stating:
“After carefully evaluating the political situation in Rivers State and considering that both the Governor and Deputy Governor failed to request this proclamation from me, as required by Section 305(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), I was compelled to invoke Section 305 of the Constitution to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State, effective today, March 18, 2025.”
He clarified that the judiciary in Rivers State remains unaffected by this declaration and will continue functioning as stipulated by the Constitution.
The ongoing meeting at Aso Villa will likely establish the framework for Ibas’s administration and outline the federal government’s next steps in managing the political crisis in Rivers State.
