Image of Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas

A fresh face-off is brewing in Rivers State between the immediate past sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), and the State House of Assembly over plans to probe the state’s finances during the six-month emergency rule.

Ibas, who handed over power on September 17 following the expiration of the emergency rule imposed by President Bola Tinubu, rejected the Assembly’s decision, arguing that lawmakers lacked the authority to scrutinise his administration.

At its first plenary since returning from suspension, the Assembly, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, resolved to investigate how funds were spent during the emergency period. The lawmakers said the probe would focus on expenditures from the consolidated revenue fund, including contracts and other financial commitments.

Data reviewed by The PUNCH showed that Rivers State received at least N254.37bn from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) between March and August under Ibas’ tenure. The allocations, which averaged N42.40bn monthly, were largely driven by the 13 per cent oil derivation, which accounted for about 52 per cent of receipts.

Despite the heavy inflows, Rivers has yet to publish its 2025 Budget Implementation Report, leaving details of how the funds were utilised unclear.

Civil society groups in the state have demanded accountability, describing the six-month arrangement as illegal and opaque. The Chairman of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations, Enefaa Georgewill, said the scale of revenue received raised suspicions of mismanagement, noting that major projects, including the Rivers Assembly Complex, remained stalled.

Similarly, the Civil Liberties Organisation’s spokesperson, Emma Obe, said the administration failed to follow constitutional processes and must explain how public funds were spent.

Reacting, Ibas, through his Senior Special Adviser on Media, Hector Igbikiowubu, dismissed the probe as misplaced. He said the lawmakers did not appoint him and therefore lacked the jurisdiction to investigate his tenure.

“When you say they are going to probe the tenure of the administrator, was it the Assembly that appointed the administrator?” he asked. “The administrator was appointed by the President and supervised by the National Assembly. Any attempt to probe him amounts to probing both the President and the National Assembly.”

Describing the Assembly’s move as a “fool’s errand”, Ibas maintained that he acted strictly under the mandate of the Federal Government and could not be held accountable to the suspended state legislature.

The clash comes against the backdrop of Rivers’ prolonged political crisis, which led to Tinubu’s March 18 declaration of emergency rule. The measure suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and the entire House of Assembly for six months. Admiral Ibas was appointed administrator during the period, with the arrangement drawing criticism from opposition leaders and civil society.

Although the political climate has since eased following reconciliation between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, the fallout from the emergency rule continues to generate controversy.