News
Finally, President Tinubu swears in Ibas as Rivers Sole Administrator
President Bola Tinubu has sworn in Vice Admiral Ibok-ete Ibas (rtd.) as the Sole Administrator of Rivers State.
The administrator was sworn in following a short meeting with the president on Wednesday afternoon.
Tinubu announced the appointment of the retired naval chief at a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, when he declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu; and the Rivers State House of Assembly members.
Tinubu hinged his decision on Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, saying he can’t continue to watch the political situation in Rivers escalate without taking any action.
The suspension of Fubara and other democratically elected representatives has been expressly rejected and condemned by many eminent Nigerians, legal luminaries, groups including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Femi Falana, the Labour Party (LP), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Nigerian Bar Association, among others.
However, the emergency rule has been praised by the pro-Nyesom Wike Assembly led by Martins Amaewhule, accusing Fubara of contravening the Supreme Court ruling on the political situation in the state.
Ibas was the Chief of Naval Staff from 2015 to 2021. He was born in Cross River where he is from and had his early education there.
The new sole administrator went to the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1979 from where he proceeded to have a successful career in the Navy, rising through the ranks to the very top.
He is a member of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) and the Nigerian Institute of Management.
President Muhammadu Buhari who appointed him as Chief of Naval Staff conferred him with the National Honour of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) in 2022.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
A petrol-laden tanker has exploded at Karu Bridge on the Abuja-Nyanya-Keffi Road, Abuja, causing gridlock and destruction.
The explosion has reportedly destroyed at least 30 vehicles, raising concerns over potential casualties.
As of the latest update, fire service operatives and security officials had yet to arrived at the scene.
Confusion reportedly reigned, increasing the risks for those involved.
The extent of the damage and casualties remained unclear as of publication time. [With The Witness report)
Suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has vacated the Government House in Port Harcourt.
The governor reportedly moved out on Wednesday morning, ahead of the anticipated arrival of Admiral Ekwe Ibas (rtd), who has been appointed as the new Sole Administrator of the state.
A visit by Daily Trust to the Government House on Wednesday morning revealed a calm atmosphere, with at least three armoured personnel carriers stationed at the main entrance.
A security source confirmed that there had been a change of guard at the seat of power, with all of the governor’s security details replaced.
“The governor left Government House this morning and the new administrator is yet to resume. We are expecting him any moment from now. The security details in Government House have been reshuffled. I can tell you that everywhere is calm and nothing is happening as we speak now,” the source said.
Meanwhile, residents of Port Harcourt have gone about their normal business, and there have been no signs of a breakdown of law and order.
This development follows President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State on Tuesday, citing the ongoing vandalization of pipelines and the failure of political stakeholders to resolve the crisis despite previous interventions.
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