Ibas Battles For Legitimacy

The Sole Admin-istrator of Rivers State, Ibok-Ete Ibas, is battling hard to gain legitimacy more than six weeks after assuming duties in Port Harcourt.
Ibas, who served as Chief of Naval Staff between 2015 and 2021, took charge of affairs in Rivers State on March 18 following the declaration of a State of Emergency in the state by President Bola Tinubu on March 18th.
But six weeks down the road, the retired naval chief has not been able to win the hearts of both the people and the political class. The state of emergency was called to resolve the political impasse in the state. But observers who spoke to National Point said the state of emergency was uncalled for because there was really no situation deserving of the declaration in the first place.
On assumption of duties, Admiral Ibas began dismantling the political structures of suspended governor Siminalayi Fubara and replacing them with cronies of his opponent and FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Reliable sources confirmed that despite still having more than four months to accomplish the task for which he was deployed to Port Harcourt, Ibas has begun a lobby to extend his stay in office beyond the six months given to him by the President.
When he met the House of Representatives ad hoc Committee oversighting Rivers State last month in Abuja, Vice-Admiral Ibas asked for more time to enable him present a detailed report of the situation in Rivers State.
Though he admitted to the committee that the situation was calm in Rivers State, the Sole Administrator said the situation in the state was still fragile and required delicate handling.
Meanwhile, pressures have been mounting on the sole administrator to quit and on the President to fire him. Two weeks ago, the 11 governors elected on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform filed a suit at the Supreme Court challenging the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
Apart from praying the Supreme Court to nullify the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State and the suspension of the executive and the legislature, the governors raised six constitutional questions for the Supreme Court to determine.
The issues included whether the National Assembly could approve a state of emergency proclamation including the suspension of the state executives and legislatures by a simple voice vote rather than the constitutionally required two-thirds majority of all members of each chamber.
They contended that the President cannot lawfully suspend or interfere with the offices of governors and deputy governors or replace them with unelected nominees under a state of emergency, ditto for a State House of Assembly under such circumstances.
They said the threat by the Attorney-General was a violation of the principles of federalism and that the National Assembly cannot approve such proclamations through voice votes without a two-third majority.
Additionally, they prayed for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from interfering with state offices through state of emergency proclamations.
The plaintiffs sought an order nullifying the state of emergency proclamation in Rivers State as published in Official Gazette No. 47 of 2025.
Back home, the administrator has been having a battle consolidating his hold on authority. Last Friday, his wife, Dr. Theresa Ibas, was humiliated at a public function where hundreds of women walked out on her as she rose to address a programme where she represented the wife of the President, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu.
Women opposed to his rule in the state have consistently stepped out to protest in the streets as they called for his removal and the restoration of the Fubara to his post at Government House.
Following the failure of the state government to pay the salaries of workers before the end of last month, workers in the state staged a protest by holding the May Day rally in front of the Nigeria Labour Congress Secretariat at D/Line instead of Isaac Boro Park, the Sharks Stadium or the Liberation Stadium as was the usual practice.
One labour leader said workers did not want to the Sole Administrator to take a salute at their rally because he was not a democratic official. The Nigerian Bar Association had moved its annual conference initially scheduled for Port Harcourt to Enugu to protest the illegitimacy of the Sole Administrator.
Ibas had shortly after his appointment embarked on several inspection trips to sites where the state government was executing projects like the House of Assembly complex, the Port Harcourt Ring Road, Songhai Farms, the Abattoir and the medical stores. But his intentions became suspect when he ordered the discontinuation of ongoing procurement processes for new contracts.
His last minute meeting with labour leaders in the state, where he promised to promptly pay salaries and clear outstanding benefits to retirees was seen as last ditch effort to win the confidence of the labour force.