Rivers emergency rule: Five cases against Rivers sole administrator

Since assuming office on March 18 as the sole administrator of Rivers State, Ibok-Ete Ibas has faced the storm of court litigations challenging his appointment, powers and actions in the state.  At least five cases are pending against Ibas, apart from public protests over the appointment. The cases were filed by the civil society, lawyers, […]

Since assuming office on March 18 as the sole administrator of Rivers State, Ibok-Ete Ibas has faced the storm of court litigations challenging his appointment, powers and actions in the state. 

At least five cases are pending against Ibas, apart from public protests over the appointment. The cases were filed by the civil society, lawyers, residents of the state and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors.

The major cases against Ibas are by the former Deputy Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Marshall Stanley-Uwom; Rivers State residents: Yirbari Israel Nulog, Nengim Ikpoemugh Royal and Gracious Eyoh-Sifumbukho; the suit by seven PDP governors; the one by PILEX Centre for Civic Education Initiative and the suit by an Abuja-based lawyer, JohnMary Jideobi.

 

Stop allocations to Ibas – Ex-Speaker

Marshal Stanley-Uwom asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the federal government from releasing allocations accruable to the local government councils in the state to the sole administrator until the determination of the constitutionality of their appointments.

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Stanley-Uwom further contends that under section 7(1) of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution, as well as the judgement of the Supreme Court, Ibas cannot legally appoint unelected officials as caretakers to run the affairs of the local governments in Rivers State.

In the suit brought by his lawyer, Sylvester Evbuomwan, the former Deputy Speaker, who served during the tenure of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike as the governor of the state, asked the court to make “an order compelling the seventh defendant (Ibas) to immediately vacate the office of sole administrator of Rivers State and allow the democratically elected governor of the state to resume.”

In the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/797/2025, in which he joined President Bola Tinubu as a defendant, he seeks an interpretation of the powers of the president to make a proclamation, and its effectiveness under section 305 (6) (b) of the constitution in the absence of a resolution supported by a two-third majority of all the members of each house of the National Assembly approving the proclamation.

No date has been fixed for the hearing.

 

Stop Ibas from appointing LG caretaker chairmen – CSO

In another suit before a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, a civil society organisation, PILEX Centre for Civic Education Initiative, led by Courage Nsirimovu, asked the court to grant an interim injunction barring the Rivers State sole administrator from appointing local government administrators across the 23 local government areas of the state.

Following the application, the court, presided over by Justice Adamu Turaki Mohammed, on April 7 granted an interim injunction barring Ibas from proceeding with the appointments, and summoned him to appear before the court to explain why the injunction should not be made permanent.

But despite the order, Ibas approved the appointment of local government caretaker administrators the following day and said it would take immediate effect.

He also announced the reconstitution of some boards of agencies, commissions and parastatals earlier suspended.

“All appointments take effect from Monday, the 7th of April 2025,” the sole administrator had announced.

When the case resumed on April 15, the claimant’s counsel, Oyingi Imiete, at the resumed hearing, told the court that the matter was scheduled for hearing on a motion for interlocutory injunction, while drawing attention to the sole administrator’s appointment of local government caretaker administrators despite the court order.

The judge further adjourned the suit to May 22 to enable the parties joined as defendants respond.

 

Court must stop Ibas from acting – Rivers’ residents

Four residents of Rivers State – Yirbari Israel Nulog, Nengim Ikpoemugh Royal and Gracious Eyoh-Sifumbukho – brought a suit before a Federal High Court in Abuja to set aside the appointment of Ibas as the sole administrator of the state and restrain him from acting or continuing to act in that capacity in pursuance of his appointment on March 18.

The residents, who were led by their lawyer, Ebun-Oluwa Adegboruwa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), had in April joined President Bola Tinubu, Sole Administrator Ibok-Ete Ibas, Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Attorney- General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) as defendants.

They are seeking, among others, “An order of injunction restraining the 1st (Tinubu), 3rd (Ibas) defendants, including their agents, representatives or such other persons acting on their behalf from treating or continuing to treat the deputy governor and members of the House of Assembly, having been suspended by the 1st defendant (Tinubu).”

They are contending that by virtue of section 1(1) and (2) and 176(1) and (2) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, the plaintiffs, who are indigenes and residents of Rivers State, are entitled to have a democratically elected governor who shall be the chief executive of the state.

Meanwhile, Justice James Omotosho has fixed the matter for May 21 for hearing and directed service on the defendants.

 

Order his immediate sack, void all actions – Lawyer

An Abuja-based lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi, in his suit before a Federal High Court in Abuja, is asking the court to order the immediate removal of Rivers State sole administrator from office.

Jideobi further asked the court to set aside and declare as void “all actions and decisions, howsoever described or made, of the 3rd defendant (Vice Admiral Ibas rtd) in the name of the sole administrator of Rivers State, same being unconstitutional, null and of no constitutional force throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria for all purposes.”

Furthermore, he requested an order of perpetual injunction barring President Tinubu, “either by himself, his officers, agents, privies, servants or any other person acting under his command howsoever named, from appointing any sole administrator into any state Government House in the 36 states of the federation for any purpose whatsoever.”

In the suit, Jideobi joined President Bola Tinubu, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) and the 36 states of the federation as defendants.  

However, on April 10, Jideobi’s counsel, Chimezie Enuka, informed the court that Tinubu and the AGF had failed to appear for the case, while noting the presence of the Attorneys-General of Lagos, Bayelsa, Taraba and Edo states in the court.

Enuka informed the court that all the defendants in the case, except the attorneys-general of Zamfara and Bauchi states, were duly served with both the originating processes and the hearing notice. 

Justice James Omotosho fixed the matter for June 11 to enable all the parties to file their responses.

 

Declare emergency rule in Rivers as unconstitutional – PDP govs 

Seven governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Bauchi, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Enugu, Osun, Plateau and Zamfara states filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court, challenging President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

The governors contend that the president lacks the powers under section 305(5) of the Nigerian Constitution, 1999 to suspend Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu and all members of the state House of Assembly for six months while announcing Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd) as the sole administrator of the state.

According to the court documents, the governors are seeking a declaration that the president’s action violates sections 1(2), 5(2) and 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

No date has been fixed for the hearing.

 

Delay of cases surprising – Lawyers

Lawyers have expressed surprise that the cases challenging Ibas’ appointment and actions are not receiving an accelerated hearing.

Abeny Mohammed (SAN) said the slow pace of the cases, which “ordinarily ought to be given special attention and accelerated hearing, being constitutional and political cases,” could affect their significance to the society.

Similarly, Hameed Ajibola Jimoh, a lawyer, said the cases were being affected by politics rather than the rule of law, which he said could affect their significance to the society.

For his part, Ego M.D. Umukoro Esq said the citizens believe that there are issues there for the determination of the court, while calling on them to accept the decision of the court whether it goes in favour or against Ibas.

“While all these are going on, there must be a political solution to all of these issues; so, I call on the government, especially the president, whose action generated this. A political solution is far better than all the rancour, bitterness, legal tussle and all that,” he said.