Tinubu Allegedly Rejects Extension Bid, Orders Rivers Administrator to Step Down
- Suspended Rivers governor, Siminalayi Fubara and the state legislature are expected to return to office on September 18 as President Tinubu orders Sole Administrator Ibok Ibas to submit a handover report
- The directive quashes attempts by some lawmakers to extend Ibas’ emergency rule by three months
- Strong opposition from Nyesom Wike and Rivers APC leaders has solidified the September deadline for restoring democratic governance in the state
The tenure of the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas (retd), is drawing to a close as preparations intensify for the return of suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Prof Ngozi Odu, and the state House of Assembly members on September 18, 2025.
President Bola Tinubu, during a closed-door meeting with Ibas at the presidential villa last Wednesday, directed him to prepare a comprehensive handover report before embarking on a scheduled vacation, Vanguard reported.
Source: Facebook
Sources confirmed that the document must capture all funds inherited from Fubara, revenue generated during the six-month emergency rule, expenditure details, and the projects executed within the period.
Lawmakers pushed for extension of emergency rule
The order has effectively ended attempts by some lawmakers to secure a three-month extension of the emergency rule.
Their proposal sought to keep Ibas in office until December 2025, allowing him time to complete the reconstruction of the state Assembly complex, conclude the workers’ verification exercise, and install sensitive government equipment.
Had the plan succeeded, Fubara and the Assembly would not have resumed until January 2026.
Resistance to the extension was strong. The Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, reportedly opposed the move and pushed for the emergency rule to end as scheduled.
Wike had earlier told reporters after the August 30 local government elections that the suspended officials were ready to return to Government House. Two days later, Rivers APC chairman Chief Tony Okocha affirmed that the September 18 timeline remained intact.
Ibas told to prepare to hand over
A presidency source disclosed that Ibas must submit his report at least two days before resuming from vacation. The President is then expected to make a pronouncement on lifting the emergency rule, exactly six months after it was declared on March 18 to quell political tensions between Wike and Fubara.
Source: Twitter
A Port Harcourt-based human rights activist argued that lifting the suspension aligns with Tinubu’s democratic credentials.
“Upon his return from vacation, Mr. President’s next foreign trip would be to New York where he is expected to attend the United Nations General Assembly. There, he is going to be face to face with advanced democracies and civil societies. It is only morally right, as a self-styled democrat, for him to lift the suspension and restore all democratic institutions in Rivers state to avoid a backlash from the harsh American media,” he said.
Meanwhile, Fubara, who is in London with his family, is expected back in the country soon.
Upon resumption, he will be presented with a list of political appointees, including commissioners, who will form his new cabinet.
Blow to Fubara as APC captures chairmanship seat
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had secured victory in the chairmanship election held in Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area of Rivers State, the home council of suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Barrister James A. James, the APC candidate, was declared winner of Saturday’s poll by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
Source: Legit.ng
