A group, the Rivers Emancipation Movement, has vowed to take to the streets if the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.) appoints administrators to take charge of the 23 local government areas of the state.

Information filtered through at the weekend that Ibas, who President Bola Tinubu appointed on March 18, 2025, as sole administrator after suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the lawmakers, may appoint administrators to the councils anytime soon.

Sources told The PUNCH on Monday that Ibas may announce the council administrators on Tuesday, barring any last-minute change.

The sources said names of supposed administrators had been compiled, most of whom they alleged were those not in the political camp of the suspended governor.

Following the proclamation of the emergency rule in Rivers, the President suspended Fubara, the deputy governor, Prof Ngozi Odu and the lawmakers.

The PUNCH reports that Fubara had earlier asked the local government chairmen, who emerged from the October 5, 2024, election to hand over to their respective heads of local government administration, following their sack by the Supreme Court on February 28, 2025.

The group, in an open letter addressed to Ibas and sent to newsmen in Port Harcourt, on Monday, expressed worry over the plot to appoint administrators in the councils.

The letter, titled ‘Respect the rule of law: LG must not be run by appointed administrators’ was signed by its National President, Zoe Tamunotonye and National Secretary, Solomon Lenu.

Copies of the letter, according to the group, were sent to the President, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN); the Inspector General of Police and the Rivers State Commissioner of Police.

The statement read, “The Rivers Emancipation Movement, on behalf of the people of Rivers State, expresses grave concern over reports of an imminent plan to appoint Local Government administrators.

“Such a move, if carried out, would be a direct violation of the Nigerian constitution and the recent Supreme Court judgment affirming the autonomy of local governments.


https://punchng.com/rivers-group-rejects-administrators-alleged-plan-to-appoint-lg-caretakers/