April 9, 2025
The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral (Rtd) Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, has defied a court restraining order to approve the appointment of administrators for the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.
The appointments take effect from Monday, April 7, 2025.
The approval which was contained in an announcement by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Ibibia Worika, on Wednesday, came alongside the reconstitution of previously suspended boards of agencies, commissions, and parastatals.
This approval is coming after a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt had restrained the sole administrator of Rivers State, Ibok-Ete Ibas, from appointing coordinators to oversee the 23 LGAs in the state.
READ MORE; Rivers Sole Administrator Suspends All Political Appointees.
The presiding judge, Adamu Mohammed issued the restraining order after an ex parte application in Suit No. FHC/PH/CS/46/2025, filed by Pilex Centre for Civic Education Initiative, a Civil Society Organization, CSO, led by Courage Nsirimovu.
The court granted the motion ex-parte filed on March 28, and has fixed April 14 for a substantive hearing.
Amid the chaos, Fubara’s supporters have accused Ibas of attempting to sidestep constitutional provisions by appointing administrators to the LGAs without lawful backing an action now under judicial scrutiny.