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COURT BARS RIVERS SOLE ADMINISTRATOR FROM APPOINTING LG HEADS
A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has issued an interim order restraining the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Rear Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas (rtd), from appointing administrators or officials by any designation to oversee the 23 local government areas of the state.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Adamu Turaki Muhammed in Suit No. FHC/PH/CS/46/2025, followed an ex parte motion filed on March 28, 2025, by the PILEX Centre for Civic Education Initiative, led by civic advocate Courage Msirimovu.
According to the court, the applicants sought “an order of interim injunction restraining the respondent or his agents from appointing the Sole Administrator or whatever name called for the 23 LGAs,” along with other appropriate reliefs deemed necessary by the court. Justice Muhammed ruled that sufficient grounds had been presented to justify the reliefs sought, and subsequently fixed April 14, 2025, for the substantive hearing of the matter.
The development marks another twist in the prolonged tussle over the control of the state’s local government structures, a battle rooted in the fallout between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.
It can be recalled that following the expiration of the tenure of elected local government chairmen, loyal to Wike, Governor Fubara dissolved the councils and appointed caretaker committees.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) subsequently announced fresh local council elections for October 5, 2024. The Wike-aligned faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC), led by Chief Tony Okocha, challenged the process in court, even as the commission proceeded with the polls.
On February 28, 2025, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the APC faction, effectively nullifying the newly elected chairmen. Following the ruling, Governor Fubara directed heads of local government administration to take charge in an acting capacity.
Following the declaration of a State of Emergency in the state, occasioned by the appointment of Rear Admiral Ibas as Sole Administrator, there were rumours of possible appointments of administrators to run the councils.
This move was seen by the camp of Fubara as unconstitutional and likely to entrench Wike loyalists in key local positions.
