The House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee on Rivers State has summoned the state’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), for a comprehensive interactive session.
The session is scheduled for Thursday, April 17, 2025, at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.
In a statement released by House spokesperson Akin Rotimi, the committee noted that the meeting will allow members to review preliminary findings and developments in Rivers State since Ibas assumed office.
Chairman of the Committee and House Leader, Julius Ihonvbere, emphasized the importance of the engagement, saying, “This engagement is necessary to ascertain the true state of affairs in Rivers State and ensure that the House remains properly guided in the discharge of its oversight responsibilities in the public interest.”
The committee confirmed that a formal invitation letter had been sent to Ibas and duly acknowledged.
The development follows the controversial declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu on March 18, 2025. The president suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all state lawmakers for six months, citing Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, which allows for emergency rule in times of national crisis.
Following the proclamation, Tinubu appointed Ibas to oversee the state during the emergency period. The National Assembly ratified the president’s decision within 48 hours, despite strong opposition from various political and civil society groups.
Critics of the move—including prominent figures such as Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Atedo Peterside, Nasir El-Rufai, Femi Falana, and organizations like the Nigerian Bar Association, PANDEF, the Labour Party, and the PDP—have condemned the suspension of the elected officials, describing it as unconstitutional.
This marks the first time since May 14, 2013, when former President Goodluck Jonathan imposed emergency rule on the insurgency-hit states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa, that such action has been taken in Nigeria.
Edited by Nzubechukwu Eze
