Ignoring Tuesday’s order of a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt which reportedly restrained him from appointing administrators to superintend over the 23 local government councils in Rivers State, the Sole Administrator, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, has named administrators to temporarily take charge of the affairs of the councils.
Ibas also approved the constitution of some boards of agencies, commissions, and parastatals, which he suspended last week. The sole administrator also cancelled all pending procurement and tender processes carried out by ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) in the state.
He said the cancellation became necessary following the Supreme Court judgement and the absence of an appropriation law within the period.
The sole administrator had in an earlier statement by the SSG, directed all MDAs that carried out such tender processes for projects in their respective offices to refund such fees to the respective contractors immediately.
The appointments of the councils’ administrators which took effect from Monday April 7, were announced in a press release on Wednesday morning signed by the Secretary to the State Government, (SSG) Prof. Ibibia Worika.
Newsmata.com.ng reports that Ibas had last week suspended all heads of ministries, departments, and agencies of government in the state with immediate effect.
The Government Special Announcement appointing the councils’ administrators read:
“His Excellency The Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral (Retd) Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas CFR, has approved the appointments of administrators for the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State.
“He has also approved the reconstitution of some boards of agencies, commissions, and parastatals, earlier suspended.
“All appointments take effect from Monday, the 7th of April 2025.”
The order of the Federal High Court stopping the appointments was issued by Justice Adam Muhammed on Tuesday in suit no. FHC/PH/CS/46/2025 in the case filed by PILEX Centre for Civic Education Initiative led by Courage Msirimovu against the Sole Administrator in his official capacity.
The Sole Administrator had recently announced that the hitherto withheld local government councils’ allocations had been released by the federal government.