President Bola Tinubu has sworn in retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as the sole administrator of Rivers State, after a short meeting at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday afternoon.
This development comes after Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended Gov. Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Gov. Ngozi Odu, and all members of the State House of Assembly on Tuesday.
Tinubu’s decision, which was announced in a nationwide broadcast, was anchored on Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution as the basis for the declaration.
The president said he could not continue to watch the political situation in the state escalate without taking action.
However, the suspension of Fubara and other democratically elected representatives has been greeted with widespread criticism from eminent Nigerians, lawyers, and opposition parties, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, 2023 Labour Party Presidential Candidate Peter Obi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress.
However, the pro-Nyesom Wike Assembly led by Martins Amaewhule has praised the emergency rule, accusing Fubara of contravening the Supreme Court ruling on the political situation in the state.
Ibas, a retired naval chief, was born in Cross River State and had a distinguished career in the Navy, serving as Chief of Naval Staff from 2015 to 2021.
He is a member of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs and the Nigerian Institute of Management, and was conferred with the National Honour of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022.
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