The Rivers State House of Assembly has launched a formal investigation into the administration of Vice Admiral (retd.) Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, who served as Sole Administrator during the recently concluded six-month emergency rule declared in the state. The probe follows the lifting of the emergency rule on September 18, 2025, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who had earlier invoked Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution to suspend the state’s democratic institutions in response to a prolonged political crisis.
The emergency rule was imposed in March 2025 amid deepening tensions between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the state legislature. The crisis, marked by a failed impeachment attempt, disputes over budget approvals, and a breakdown in executive-legislative relations, prompted the federal government to suspend the governor, his deputy, and the entire Rivers State House of Assembly. In their place, Ibas, a retired military officer and former Chief of Naval Staff, was appointed to oversee the administration of the state.
During his tenure, Ibas made sweeping changes to the state’s governance structure. He suspended political appointees loyal to Fubara and directed local government administrators to report directly to the civil service. Several civil society groups, political parties, and legal analysts raised concerns about the legality of these actions and questioned the transparency of financial decisions made under the emergency rule. Notably, Ibas was summoned multiple times by a joint National Assembly committee overseeing the emergency regime but was reported to have delayed or avoided appearances.
Now that the emergency period has ended, the Rivers State House of Assembly has reconvened and is moving to scrutinize the Ibas administration’s conduct. In its first plenary session after reinstatement, the Assembly unanimously passed a motion calling for a comprehensive review of all financial transactions carried out during the emergency. Lawmakers expressed concern that state funds were spent without legislative appropriation or oversight, and they demanded a full account of contracts awarded and projects executed between March and September 2025.
The Assembly also requested that Governor Fubara submit a list of commissioner nominees for screening and approval, to restore full executive functionality. Additionally, they urged the governor to present a supplementary appropriation bill to cover the remainder of the 2025 fiscal year, thereby allowing the legislature to regain its constitutional role in budgeting and governance.
The move to probe Ibas raises several critical questions about accountability, constitutional limits during emergency rule, and the integrity of governance under such extraordinary measures. At the heart of the probe is the issue of whether due process was followed in the management of public resources and whether Ibas operated within the boundaries of the mandate given to him by the federal government.
Observers believe the probe could set an important precedent for how emergency rule is implemented and reviewed in Nigeria. Public sentiment in Rivers State is divided—while some welcomed the end of the crisis, others remain skeptical about whether justice and transparency will be achieved. Legal experts have also noted that the constitutionality of suspending elected officials and replacing them with an unelected administrator could be challenged in court.
As the investigation proceeds, the public will be watching closely to see whether the Assembly can assert its oversight functions effectively and whether Vice Admiral Ibas will be held accountable for the decisions taken during his administration. The outcome of the probe is likely to have far-reaching implications—not only for governance in Rivers State but also for the broader practice of emergency rule in Nigeria’s democracy.
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