President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas (retd.) as the sole administrator of Rivers State, following his controversial declaration of a state of emergency.
The ceremony, held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, was attended by top government officials, including Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, Attorney General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi, and Presidential Principal Secretary Hakeem Muri-Okunola.
Tinubu’s decision to install an administrator comes after he suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and the entire state House of Assembly for an initial six-month period.
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The crisis in the state has been simmering for months, driven by a fierce political battle between Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who now serves as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
The rift deepened when 27 state lawmakers defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), further destabilizing governance in the resource-rich state.
