President Bola Tinubu met with Vice Admiral Ibok-Étè Ibas (retd.) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, just 24 hours after declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State. Ibas, the newly appointed sole administrator of Rivers State, arrived at the villa at 12:48 pm, reportedly for a briefing on his new assignment.
This development comes after Tinubu suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months, citing prolonged political instability, constitutional breaches, and security threats.
The crisis in Rivers State stems from a power struggle between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
As sole administrator, Ibas will oversee the state’s affairs until normalcy is restored. He previously served as Chief of Naval Staff from 2015 to 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.