The Rivers State Sole Administrator, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, is scheduled to meet with the House of Representatives Committee overseeing the state’s administration under emergency rule today, April 25, 2025. This meeting comes after Ibas failed to attend the committee’s meeting on Thursday, sparking curiosity among lawmakers.
The committee, led by Chairman Prof Julius Ihonvbere, conducted a closed-door session with committee members, lasting about 50 minutes. However, the committee members declined to speak to the press afterward, leaving journalists disappointed.
According to sources, Ibas’s absence was attributed to his participation in the National Economic Council meeting chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima. Ibas is now expected to meet with the committee at 10 am today in the National Assembly Complex.
Protests in Rivers State
Meanwhile, hundreds of women from the Opobo Kingdom took to the streets to demand the immediate reinstatement of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, whose suspension followed the declaration of a state of emergency in the state. The protesters rejected the appointment of a Sole Administrator to manage the state’s affairs, calling the emergency rule unconstitutional.
The protest, led by the President of the Opobo Women Association, Felicia Pepple, began with a solemn prayer session at King Jaja Monument Square. The women wore black attire to seek divine intervention and marched to the Water Side, chanting “Bring back our Governor” and sat on the ground in protest.
Pepple emphasized the governor’s positive contributions to the state’s development and appealed to President Bola Tinubu to reinstate Fubara. She urged Nigerians to support their cause and decried the hardship faced by the people of Rivers State under the emergency rule.
Related Developments
In a related development, a coalition of lawyers, the Public Interest Lawyers League, has called for the resignation of Nigerian Bar Association President Afam Osigwe and Chairman of the NBA Annual General Conference Organising Committee Emeka Obegolu. The demand follows controversy surrounding a N300m payment from the Rivers State Government for the NBA’s 2025 Annual General Conference.
The group accused the NBA leadership of compromising the association’s integrity and urged them to return the funds and resign immediately. They also condemned the lack of transparency surrounding the transaction, noting that the revelation came from the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, not the NBA leadership.
As the situation unfolds, stakeholders and residents of Rivers State await a resolution to the crisis, while the NBA faces pressure to address the controversy surrounding the N300m payment.
