Rivers: Ibas sues for peace as opposition questions emergency rule

Ibok-Ete Ibas, the newly sworn-in sole administrator of Rivers, says he is ready to bring all the stakeholders together to ensure that peace and stability return to the oil-rich state.

Speaking on Wednesday with State House journalists shortly after his swearing in at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Ibas said President Bola Tinubu clearly defined his assignment.

“Mr President made it very clear in this broadcast that the main issue is maintaining law and order in the state,” he said.

“I think for any meaningful activities to take place in Rivers State, the utmost task is that I will have to work together with all other stakeholders to ensure that we bring peace, order and security and stability to the people and government of Rivers State and Nigeria at large.”

President Tinubu had on Tuesday, during his nationwide broadcast, named the former chief of naval staff as the military administrator of Rivers State, following the declaration of state of emergency in the state.

Ibas, 64, was born in Nkan, Cross River State, in September 1960. He began his primary education at Nko Primary School, Nko, in 1966 and completed at Big Qua Primary School, Calabar.

He then proceeded to the prestigious Hope Waddell Training Institute Calabar from 1972 to 1976.

Ibas joined the Nigeria Defense Academy in 1979 and retired in 2021, after a meritorious career that saw him climb to the highest rank of chief of naval staff.

The swearing in was performed by President Tinubu in the presence of Lateef Fagbemi, attorney general of the federation and minister of justice.

The president, while declaring the state of emergency in Rivers State on Tuesday, said Ibas would take over the administration of the state for the next six months.

The president also said that although the administrator would not make new laws, all his plans and policies would be submitted to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval.

How Rivers’ crisis began

Rivers State has been mired in crisis since October 2023, with the ousted governor, Sim Fubara, battling Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), for the soul of the state.

As the crisis raged, pictures circulated of members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Wike defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Governor Fubara subsequently said he would not recognise them as they had lost their seats.

After several months of litigation, the Supreme Court returned them recently, ordering the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) not to release the state’s allocation.

Opposition reject emergency rule

Several Nigerians have opposed President Bola Tinubu’s state of emergency declaration on Rivers State, saying that he lacks the power to do so.

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) issued a strong rebuke against President Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, describing the suspension of democratically elected officials as unconstitutional and a dangerous precedent for Nigeria’s democracy.

In a statement released Tuesday night, Afam Osigwe, NBA president, said: “The NBA is gravely concerned about the purported suspension by the President of the Governor of Rivers State, the Deputy Governor, and the Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months.”

He said the 1999 Constitution does not grant the President the power to remove an elected governor, deputy governor, or members of a state’s legislature under the guise of a state of emergency.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar called the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State “a political maneuver designed in bad faith and an assault on the country’s democracy.”

Reacting via his verified Facebook page, Atiku said, “The declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State reeks of political manipulation and outright bad faith.”

He noted that anyone following the developments in Rivers knows that President Tinubu has been a key player in the political crisis, either through neglect or active involvement, which has allowed the situation to escalate.

Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, said on his X handle on Wednesday that the declaration of state of emergency in Rivers is undemocratic.

“The situation in Rivers does not justify such an extreme measure, it is also a biased interpretation of Section 305(1) of the 1999 constitution.

“A state of emergency does not mean that an elected governor can be removed unilaterally.

“The decision does not align with democratic norms and good governance. It appears to be a predetermined action serving specific interests rather than the collective good of Rivers people and Nigeria.

“This action constitutes an unconstitutional overreach, setting a dangerous precedent that threatens democracy, the rule of law, and the separation of powers,” he said.

Fagbemi justifies emergency rule

However, Lateef Fagbemi, attorney general of the federation and minister of justice, justified Tuesday’s declaration of the state of emergency in Rivers State, saying that Simi Fubara ‘teleguided’ the militants to blast the critical national assets – the oil pipelines – in Rivers State.

Fagbemi, speaking with State House journalists after meeting with the president on Wednesday, said the president acted in good faith to save critical national assets from further destruction. He blamed the embattled governor for not taking proactive actions to save the critical national assets.

“The governor failed to make a request to the president to intervene in saving the oil installations”, Fagbemi, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said.

Fagbemi alleged that the governor was encouraging the militants, either directly or indirectly, instead of working to save the assets.

“Now, when do you think the president should have come in? Is it when everything has been destroyed? I don’t think so,” he said.