A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt has issued an interim injunction barring the state’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), from inaugurating the newly appointed Chairman and members of the Rivers State Services Commission.
Justice Frank Onyiri granted the order on Monday after considering final written arguments in a suit filed by the commission’s suspended members, who were originally appointed by the embattled Governor Siminalayi Fubara. The claimants—Rev. Goodlife Iduoku Ben, Amadi Christian Echele, Chimenem Wisdom Jerome, and three others—are challenging their removal, describing it as unlawful.
The court directed all parties to maintain the status quo and adjourned the case until September 29 for judgment.
The suspended officials argue that Ibas lacked the legal authority to dismiss them and appoint replacements, insisting that their initial appointments followed due process, including confirmation by the Rivers State House of Assembly. In an affidavit, the claimants’ chairman, Ben, stated that their appointments were properly documented with the Assembly’s Clerk before receiving official letters from the governor.
The defendants in the suit include Sole Administrator Ibas, the state’s Accountant General, Access Bank, Zenith Bank, and 11 others. The case highlights the ongoing political tensions in Rivers State, where disputes over appointments and authority continue to play out in the judiciary.
This latest development stalls Ibas’s planned reconstitution of the commission, pending the court’s final decision.
