Immediate past Rivers State administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), has dismissed moves by the Rivers State House of Assembly to probe his stewardship, insisting the lawmakers lack the constitutional jurisdiction to question his actions.
Speaking through his Senior Special Adviser on Media, Hector Igbikiowubu, Ibas described the resolution passed by the Assembly to investigate expenditures and contracts under his six-month administration as a “political distraction.” He maintained that since his appointment came directly from President Bola Tinubu and his activities were supervised by the National Assembly, any inquiry by state lawmakers would be tantamount to probing both institutions.
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The declaration came just hours after Ibas held a closed-door meeting with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The President had earlier received Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who returned to office following the expiration of the emergency rule in the oil-rich state.
At its first sitting after the emergency rule ended, the Rivers Assembly, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, resolved to scrutinise the use of funds from the consolidated revenue account during Ibas’s tenure. Lawmakers also vowed to examine all contracts awarded within the period.
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President Tinubu had declared a state of emergency in Rivers State on 18 March 2025, after rising political and security crises. The order suspended Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu and all elected lawmakers, placing Ibas in charge of the state until power was restored this month.
