By Ken Chiwendu
The Administrator of Emergency Rule in Rivers State,Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas ( Retd) has announced appointments into Boards of Parastatals and the 23 Local Government Councils in the state.
He has also reconstituted the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission RSIEC,he sacked a couple of weeks ago.
The appointment comes 24 hours after a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt restrained the administrator from making appointments in whatever form at the Local Government Councils.
The Supreme Court had nullified the October 5 ,2024 Local Government council election declaring that the election grossly violated the Electoral Act.
The judgement of the Apex Court read by Justice Jamilu Tukur said the action of the RSIEC is declared void for lack of substantial compliance to the Electoral Act and guidelines stating that the electoral body continued voter registration even after announcing an election date.
Current matters recently published a report that the Administrator on Sunday night received the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike where he allegedly collected lists of appointees for councils and others.
Ibas recently terminated all political appointments including the RSIEC empowered to conduct council elections.
The administrator who was single – handedly sworn in by the President is” expected to be unbiased but has shown his side of the divide ” a street vendor told current matters.
Similarly,a legal practitioner who spoke under condition of anonymity expressed disappointment with the Administrator for refusing to obey a court order. He however heaped the blame on President Bola Tinubu ” We have worst case scenarios where people are being killed,yet, no State of Emergency was declared in those states Why Rivers? Is it just to satisfy the ego of one man? He asked.
Can the President reverse the situation and reinstate the Governor if he, (Tinubu) is indeed a democrat? asked a student.
