Reps urge Rivers Administrator to report to N’Assembly

By DGallery TV/April 15, 2025

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has urged the Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd) to be reporting to the National Assembly as he discharges his duties in the state.

The call came as a reminder to Ibas that by the provision of the 1999 Constitution (As amended), he must report to the National Assembly in running the affairs of the oil-rich state.

Abbas gave the charge in Abuja on Tuesday while inaugurating the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee on Rivers State.

Recall that on 18 March 2025, President Bola Tinubu declared a six-month emergency rule in the state in the wake of the lingering political crisis the state between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the State House of Assembly.

The president slammed a suspension on both warring parties for an initial period of six months and appointed Ibas to oversee the state as Sole Administrator.

Both chambers of the federal parliament approved and ratified the decision.

While inaugurating the 21-man committee on Tuesday, Abbas urged the members to follow objectivity.

He warned that there was no room for bias and partisanship.

“It is paramount to note that the current administration in Rivers State is inherently temporary. With the suspension of the state Governor, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, and the entire House of Assembly, a caretaker administration has been installed under the stewardship of Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd)” the speaker said.

He stressed that the National Assembly firmly restricted the administrator’s role, assigning him the responsibility of upholding law and order and managing essential governance until full democratic rule returns. The administrator must operate with the highest levels of transparency and accountability, and report directly to the National Assembly on all matters concerning the peace, order, and good government of the state, as prescribed by the constitution.

He recalled in the past the role played by previous assemblies, urging the panel to see their appointment as a call to service.

“It is instructive to recall past instances where our nation has faced similar challenges. We witnessed state emergencies in Plateau State in 2004 and Ekiti State in 2006. Similarly, in 2013, President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States after a series of deadly attacks by terrorists and militant groups.

“In those periods of dire security and governance challenges, the National Assembly assumed a vital role in upholding constitutional order. When state institutions were suspended, the National Assembly intervened to ensure continuity in governance. He stressed that their actions today rely on Section 11(4) of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers them to make laws for any state whose elected legislative body cannot perform its statutory functions.

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Reps urge Rivers Administrator to report to N’Assembly