A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Tuesday, barred the state’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, from appointing sole administrators to run the 23 local council areas in the state.
The order was made in a case registered in Suit No. FHC/PH/CS/46/2025 and filed by PILEX Centre for Civic Education Initiative led by Courage Nsirimovu against the Sole Administrator in his official capacity.
The ex parte motion filed on March 28, 2025 prayed the court for many reliefs first of which was an order of interim injunction restraining the respondent or his agents from appointing sole administrator or whatever name called for the 23 LGAs. They also prayed for any other order deemed necessary in the circumstance.
The presiding Judge, Justice Adamu Turaki, said he found enough reason to grant the prayers and fixed April 14, 2025, for hearing.
The tenure of elected local council chairmen, who worked with former Governor, Nyesom Wike, ended in June 2023, but they secured what they called term elongation from the 27 defected lawmakers loyal to Wike.
On expiry of their tenures, suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, dissolved the councils and appointed caretaker chairmen. Both camps began to strive for control of the LGAs knowing they were usually the power base of anyone eager to control the political structure of the state and most other states.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) had however fixed an election for October 5, 2024, but the All Progressives Congress (APC) faction loyal to Wike took RSIEC to court. The election went ahead despite the lawsuit.
When the matter ended at the Supreme Court on February 28, 2025 in favour of the Wike-backed APC led by Tony Okocha, the governor removed the elected chairmen that had been nullified and asked heads of local council administration to take over pending a fresh election.
This was kicked against by Okocha and the Martin Amaewhule-led defected lawmakers who mounted a hunt for the RSIEC chairman.
It was at this point that the State of Emergency was declared with the appointment of a sole administrator.
Suspecting that the SOLAD was heading toward appointing administrators to run the LGAs when the constitution did not permit such, the suit became the most viable option.
Blessing Ibunge
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