Rivers Crisis Deepens as Ibas Appoints LG Administrators Despite Court Order

Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral (Rtd) Ibok-Ete Ibas, has appointed administrators for the state’s 23 Local Government Areas, defying a Federal High Court order barring such action.

The appointments, effective April 7, come amid escalating legal and political tensions. A Port Harcourt court had earlier issued an injunction restraining Ibas from naming LG overseers, pending a substantive hearing on April 14.

The move marks the latest flashpoint in Rivers’ prolonged power struggle, which has pitted Governor Siminalayi Fubara against allies of former Governor Nyesom Wike over control of local councils. Despite a Supreme Court ruling in February backing the Wike-aligned APC, Fubara nullified LG elections and installed caretaker leaders, intensifying the standoff.

Ibas’ decision to proceed with appointments is now under legal scrutiny, with observers warning that the deepening crisis threatens the state’s political stability—even after the federal government declared a state of emergency in March.