Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), has approved the appointment of new administrators for the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.
This development comes less than 24 hours after a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt reportedly issued an order restraining Ibas from appointing administrators to manage the affairs of the local councils.
The court ruling, handed down by Justice Adam Muhammed on Tuesday, stemmed from a case filed by PILEX Centre for Civic Education Initiative, led by Courage Msirimovu, against Ibas in his official capacity.
The case, marked as suit no. FHC/PH/CS/46/2025, sought to challenge the appointment process.
Despite the court’s intervention, Ibas proceeded with his decision, also approving the reconstitution of several boards of state agencies, commissions, and parastatals that had previously been suspended.
This move was confirmed in a Special Government Announcement released early Wednesday morning by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Ibibia Worika.
While the identities of the new appointees have yet to be revealed, the statement emphasized that the appointments are effective immediately, signaling a potential shift in the governance landscape of the state.
It reads, “His Excellency The Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral (Rtd) Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas CFR, has approved the appointments of administrators for the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State.
“He has also approved the reconstitution of some boards of agencies, commissions, and parastatals, earlier suspended.
“All appointments take effect from Monday, the 7th of April 2025.”
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Recall that last week, the sole administrator had suspended all heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the state with immediate effect.
In a seperate development, Ibas also cancelled all pending procurement and tender processes carried out by Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the state.
He said the cancellation became necessary following the Supreme Court judgment and the absence of an appropriation law within the period.
The sole administrator according to a previous statement also issued by the SSG, directed all MDAs that carried out such tender processes for projects in their respective offices to refund such fees to the respective contractors immediately.
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