Court Action Seeks Removal Of Sole Administrator Of Rivers State, Ibas

Court Action Seeks Removal Of Sole Administrator Of Rivers State, Ibas

The Federal High Court in Abuja has been called upon to annul the appointment of Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) as the Sole Administrator of Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/572/2025, was filed on Tuesday by Abuja-based lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi. It named President Tinubu as the first defendant, while Vice Admiral Ibas and the Attorneys-General of the 36 states of the federation are listed as defendants 2nd to 39th.

In his suit, Jideobi is asking the court to declare all actions and decisions taken by Ibas in his capacity as the Sole Administrator of Rivers State as “unconstitutional, null, and void.”

All Facts Newspaper reports that he argues that these actions are without any legal foundation and should have no constitutional effect across Nigeria.

“The actions of the third defendant, Vice Admiral Ibas, in his capacity as Sole Administrator of Rivers State, are unconstitutional and should be declared null and void,” the suit states.

The plaintiff has also asked the court to issue a permanent injunction to prevent President Tinubu from further tampering with the tenure of the elected Governor and Deputy Governor of Rivers State, and any other state in Nigeria.

This includes a restraining order barring the President, his agents, or any other individual acting under his authority, from suspending or removing governors or appointing sole administrators.

In addition, the suit seeks an order to permanently prevent the President from appointing any Sole Administrator to any state government office throughout the federation. This would ensure that only duly elected officials hold office in state governments.

All Facts Newspaper understands that this legal move comes in response to President Tinubu’s decision to appoint Vice Admiral Ibas as the Sole Administrator of Rivers State following the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

In the Originating Summons he filed through a consortium of lawyers led by Mr. Chimezie Enuka, the plaintiff prayed the court to determine: “Whether in view of the combined provisions of the entirety of Sections 1, 5(2), 180, 188, 189, 305 and 306 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended and their conflated interpretation, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria [1st Defendant herein] has any constitutional authority [whatsoever] to either remove, suspend or otherwise tamper with the tenure of the duly elected Governor and Deputy Governor of Rivers State [and indeed of any other State in Nigeria] and appoint a sole Administrator [or any other substitute howsoever called or described] such as the 3rd Defendant for that State?”

Upon the determination of the question, he prayed the court to declare that upon an intimate reading and complete understanding of the entirety of section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, there is NO other circumstance contemplated by the Constitution for the removal OR interruption of the tenure of an elected Governor and Deputy Governor of a State EXCEPT the circumstances contemplated under Sections 180, 188, 189 and 306 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.