By Daniel Abia – Port Harcourt
A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has restrained the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), from appointing sole administrators or their equivalents to oversee the 23 local government areas in the state.
Justice Adamu Turaki Mohammed granted the order in Suit No. FHC/PH/CS/46/2025, filed by the PILEX Centre for Civic Education Initiative, led by Courage Msirimovu, against the Sole Administrator in his official capacity.
The court noted that the motion ex parte, filed on March 28, 2025, sought several reliefs, including an interim injunction restraining the respondent and his agents from making such appointments. The applicant also requested any further orders the court deemed necessary.
Justice Mohammed, after reviewing the motion, ruled in favor of the applicant and fixed April 14, 2025, for the hearing of the substantive matter.
The leadership crisis in Rivers State stems from the expiration of the tenure of elected local government chairmen in June 2023. These chairmen, originally elected under former Governor Nyesom Wike, claimed an extension of tenure granted by 27 defected state lawmakers loyal to Wike.
Upon taking office, Governor Siminalayi Fubara dissolved the councils and appointed caretaker chairmen, sparking a fierce political tussle between his camp and Wike’s loyalists. Control of local governments has become a central battleground for dominance over the state’s political structure.
Despite ongoing tensions, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) conducted local government elections on October 5, 2024. However, the faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) loyal to Wike, led by Tony Okocha, challenged RSIEC’s actions in court.
The legal battle ended at the Supreme Court on February 28, 2025, with a judgment favoring the Wike-backed APC faction. In response, Governor Fubara removed the chairmen installed through the nullified election and directed the heads of local council administration to assume interim leadership pending new elections.
This decision was strongly opposed by the APC and the group of defected lawmakers led by Martin Amaewhule. They accused the governor’s camp of targeting RSIEC officials and attempting to bypass constitutional procedures.
Fubara’s supporters claim that the Sole Administrator was moving to unconstitutionally appoint administrators to run the LGAs—an act the court has now barred.
This legal intervention further highlights the unresolved political crisis in Rivers State, which persists despite President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of a political state of emergency on March 18.
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