Ibas defies court order, appoints administrators for 23 Rivers LGs

Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), has appointed administrators for all 23 Local Government Areas in the state. 

This decision came less than 24 hours after a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt issued a restraining order against him from making such appointments.

The court ruling, delivered by Justice Adam Muhammed on Tuesday, followed a lawsuit filed by PILEX Centre for Civic Education Initiative, led by Courage Msirimovu, against Ibas in his official capacity (suit no. FHC/PH/CS/46/2025).

Despite the court order, Ibas proceeded with the appointments, which also included the reconstitution of boards for several agencies, commissions, and parastatals that had been previously suspended. A Special Government Announcement released on Wednesday morning by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Ibibia Worika, confirmed that the appointments would take immediate effect, starting from Monday, April 7, 2025. However, the names of the appointees were not disclosed in the statement.

Ibas had earlier suspended all heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in the state and cancelled all pending procurement and tender processes. This cancellation, he explained, was necessary due to the Supreme Court’s judgment and the absence of an appropriation law during the period. He also instructed that all MDAs that had conducted such tender processes refund any fees collected from contractors immediately.