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 crucial interactive session scheduled for Thursday, April 17, 2025, at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.
According to a statement by the House spokesperson, Akin Rotimi, the session aims to review preliminary reports and assess the current situation in Rivers State since the imposition of emergency rule and the appointment of Ibas.
Chairman of the committee and House Leader, Julius Ihonvbere, emphasized the importance of the session, 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 has been sent and acknowledged by the retired naval officer.
On March 18, 2025, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in oil-rich Rivers State, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all state House of Assembly members for six months. He appointed Ibas as Sole Administrator to oversee governance during the period.
President Tinubu invoked Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, which allows emergency rule in instances of national danger or public disorder. Within 48 hours, the National Assembly ratified the declaration, despite strong opposition from notable Nigerians and civic groups.
Critics, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Atedo Peterside, Nasir El-Rufai, Femi Falana, the Nigerian Bar Association, the Labour Party (LP), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), have condemned the suspension of democratically elected officials.
This marks the first time emergency rule has been declared in Nigeria since 2013, when then-President Goodluck Jonathan imposed it in the insurgency-hit states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa.
