Court Orders ‘Unconstitutional’ Rivers Sole Administrator To Show Cause Over Appointment Of Local Government Administrators

A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has issued a ruling in the case filed by the PILEX Centre for Civic Education Initiative, led by Courage Nsirimovu, seeking to restrain the Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), from appointing administrators to oversee the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.

The court’s ruling followed a motion ex parte filed on March 28, 2025, by the applicant, which sought an interim injunction to prevent Ibas or his agents from making such appointments. The application raised concerns over the constitutionality of the Sole Administrator’s powers in appointing administrators for the local councils.

The motion, heard by Justice Adamu Turaki Muhammed on Monday, April 7, 2025, requested the court to issue an order preventing the Sole Administrator and anyone acting on his behalf from proceeding with the appointments. In granting part of the application, Justice Muhammed directed that the Rivers State government be put on notice to show cause why the injunction should not be granted.

The court further adjourned the case to April 14, 2025, for a hearing, after hearing submissions from the applicant’s counsel, A. O. Imiete, Esq.

The legal challenge arises amid a prolonged political crisis in Rivers State, which erupted following the fallout between suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and 27 lawmakers loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

The crisis intensified after the expiration of the tenure of elected local government chairmen—largely Wike loyalists—in June 2023. Efforts by the lawmakers to extend their tenure were nullified when Governor Fubara dissolved the councils and appointed caretaker chairmen, sparking fierce political battles for control of the LGAs.

The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) eventually organized elections on October 5, 2024, despite ongoing litigation by the Wike-backed faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC), led by Tony Okocha. Although the Supreme Court later ruled in favor of the Okocha-led APC in February 2025, the Fubara administration removed the elected chairmen and placed heads of administration in charge of the councils.

Political tensions escalated when the Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly directed the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest the RSIEC chairman over the disputed elections.

In response to the unrest, the federal government declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending democratic structures and appointing Vice Admiral Ibas as Sole Administrator.

Supporters of Governor Fubara have alleged that Ibas was preparing to appoint new sole administrators from the Wike faction, a move they argue is unconstitutional. The PILEX Centre’s lawsuit is seen as an attempt to halt what they view as an illegal takeover of local government structures.