Prominent human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately remove Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.) as the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, accusing him of violating the terms of his appointment and breaching presidential directives.
In a statement issued on Thursday, April 17, Falana pointed to the State of Emergency (Rivers State) Proclamation, 2025, published in the Federal Government Gazette on March 18, 2025. According to him, the gazette explicitly states that the Sole Administrator must operate strictly under regulations to be issued by President Tinubu—regulations that have not yet been provided.
Despite this, Falana said, Ibas has proceeded to make appointments and dismiss officials appointed by the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, effectively acting without legal authority.
“These actions are in contempt of the President’s directives and undermine the rule of law,” Falana said, insisting that Ibas’s conduct has further exposed the illegality of his appointment.
Vice Admiral Ibas, a retired Chief of Naval Staff (2015–2021), was appointed Sole Administrator on March 18, 2025, following Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State due to rising political unrest and security concerns. The move led to the suspension of Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly, under the powers granted by Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution.
Ibas, who hails from Cross River State, was also recently summoned by the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee on the Rivers crisis for a detailed interactive session in Abuja.