A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has issued an interim order restraining the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), from appointing sole administrators or any equivalent officials to oversee the state’s 23 local government areas.
The order was granted by Justice Adamu Turaki Mohammed in response to an ex parte motion filed on March 28, 2025, in Suit No. FHC/PH/CS/46/2025. The suit was instituted by the PILEX Centre for Civic Education Initiative, led by human rights advocate Courage Nsirimovu, challenging the legality of such appointments.
After reviewing the application, the court granted several interim reliefs, including an injunction barring Vice Admiral Ibas and any representatives acting on his behalf from making unilateral local government appointments. Justice Mohammed held that the application met the conditions for the court to intervene and adjourned the matter to April 14, 2025, for a full hearing.
Background: Power Struggle Over Local Government Control
The legal dispute is the latest chapter in an ongoing leadership crisis that has rocked Rivers State politics since the tenure of elected local government chairmen ended in June 2023.
These chairmen, elected under the administration of former Governor Nyesom Wike, were controversially granted a tenure extension by 27 defected members of the State House of Assembly aligned with Wike. However, when Governor Siminalayi Fubara assumed office, he moved to dissolve the councils and appointed caretaker chairmen—a decision that fueled political tensions between his camp and Wike’s loyalists.
Amid the standoff, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) conducted local government elections on October 5, 2024, despite opposition from Fubara’s camp. The faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) loyal to Wike, led by Tony Okocha, contested the elections in court.
The matter eventually reached the Supreme Court, which, on February 28, 2025, ruled in favor of the Wike-aligned APC faction. Following the verdict, Governor Fubara nullified the elections and dismissed the elected chairmen. He subsequently directed heads of local council administrations to act in an interim capacity pending the conduct of fresh elections.
Mounting Legal and Political Tensions
Fubara’s move was met with stiff opposition from the APC faction and the group of defected lawmakers led by Martin Amaewhule, who accused his administration of undermining the constitution and targeting RSIEC officials.
Amid accusations that the Sole Administrator was planning to appoint loyalists to oversee local councils, civil society organizations raised alarms, prompting the legal challenge that resulted in the latest court order.
Supporters of Governor Fubara have applauded the court’s decision, insisting that any attempt to impose administrators outside constitutional frameworks would amount to a dangerous overreach and further erode the rule of law in the state.
With the next court date set for April 14, stakeholders in Rivers State are watching closely as the legal and political drama surrounding local government leadership continues to unfold.
