Ibok Ete Ibas goes ahead with LGA appointment in Rivers despite court ruling
Ibok-Ete Ibas the sole administrator of Rivers State, has appointed new administrators for the 23 local government areas (LGAs), just hours after a federal high court in Port Harcourt ordered him not to.
The announcement, made via a statement from Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Ibibia Worika, confirmed that the appointments took effect from April 7. The move comes despite the court’s ruling barring Ibas from installing local council heads — a decision that has intensified tensions in the already politically volatile state.
In addition to the LGA appointments, Ibas has reconstituted several boards of agencies, commissions, and parastatals previously suspended. Among the newly named local government administrators are Okroiyobi Animiete, Goodluck Iheanacho, Promise Jacob, Tamunotonye Peters, Ibiapuve Charles, Kingsley N. Banigo, Sokari Ibifuro Francis, Gloria Obo-Dibiah, and Franklin Ajinwon, with a full list expected to follow shortly.
The latest development comes in the wake of President Bola Tinubu’s March 18 declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, triggered by a long-standing political crisis and escalating attacks on oil infrastructure in the region.
As part of emergency measures, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and the entire state assembly were suspended for an initial six-month period. In their place, President Tinubu appointed Ibas — a retired naval chief — as the state’s sole administrator.
Since assuming office, Ibas has taken sweeping actions to consolidate control, including suspending all political officeholders appointed by Fubara. These moves have drawn sharp criticism from political observers and legal experts, who argue that the state’s democratic institutions are being systematically dismantled.
Before the federal intervention, Governor Fubara had himself called on elected LGA chairpersons to step aside following a Supreme Court ruling that nullified the October 2024 local elections — a judgment that further fueled instability at the grassroots level.
