President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated Vice Admiral Ibok-ete Ibas (rtd.) as the Sole Administrator of Rivers State.
The swearing-in took place on Wednesday afternoon after a brief meeting between the president and Ibas.
Tinubu had announced the retired naval officer’s appointment during a nationwide address on Tuesday, where he declared a state of emergency in Rivers State.
Read Also: Reps End Plenary With No Mention Of Rivers Emergency Rule Declaration
As part of this move, he suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Citing Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, Tinubu justified his decision by stating that he could not stand by while the political crisis in the state escalated.
The suspension of Fubara and other elected officials has sparked widespread criticism and rejection from notable Nigerians, legal experts, and political groups, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Femi Falana, the Labour Party (LP), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), among others.
However, the emergency rule has received support from the pro-Nyesom Wike faction of the Rivers State Assembly, led by Martins Amaewhule, who accused Fubara of violating a Supreme Court ruling on the state’s political situation.
Ibas, who served as Nigeria’s Chief of Naval Staff from 2015 to 2021, hails from Cross River State, where he completed his early education.
He began his military career at the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1979 and steadily rose through the ranks in the Navy, achieving the highest positions.
A member of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) and the Nigerian Institute of Management, Ibas was honored with the national title of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) in 2022 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, who had appointed him as Chief of Naval Staff.
Join Informant Online WhatsApp Channel With Link Below: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaihFajBadmT29ufud2
