The planned House of Representatives session with Rivers State’s Sole Administrator, retired Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, has been suddenly postponed.
The reason for the postponement is not clear, but sources suggest a hidden power struggle between the Presidency and the legislature.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State on March 18, 2025. His decision placed the state’s administration under Ibas, who reports directly to the Federal Executive Council (FEC), chaired by the president.
However, the House invoked Section 11(4) of the 1999 Constitution, in which it constitutionally has the mandate to oversight districts under a state of emergency.
Determined to supervise the administrator’s actions, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas formed a 21-member ad hoc committee led by Rep. Julius Ihonvbere on Tuesday. By Wednesday, the committee had summoned Ibas to appear before them on Thursday to explain his activities in the past month.
But just 24 hours after the summons was issued, the House abruptly postponed the session indefinitely.
House spokesperson, Rep. Akin Rotimi, announced the decision but provided little explanation.
“In the spirit of transparent and effective oversight, the committee will promptly inform the public once the rescheduled date is confirmed,” Rotimi stated.
Officially, the postponement was attributed to a request from Ibas, but sources within the National Assembly suggest deeper political reasons.
Power Struggle Behind the Scenes
Some lawmakers believe the Presidency objects to the House directly overseeing the administrator.
“The Presidency actually asked the House to back down on the mission for the simple reason that the President has continued to insist on the Administrator reporting directly to the FEC, which is chaired by the President himself,” a senior legislative aide revealed.
Additionally, the Senate refused to participate in the ad hoc committee, allegedly to avoid clashing with the executive.
“The leadership of the Senate had rightly gauged President Tinubu’s body language concerning who oversees the affairs of the Rivers Administrator,” a source explained.
Meanwhile, critics have condemned the Sole Administrator Ibas’s decisions since taking office, including sacking commissioners, top civil servants, political appointees, and caretaker chairmen across all 23 local government areas. His replacement of the state’s electoral commission chairman has also been frowned at.
Essentially, he is accused of pointedly dismantling the political and governance structures of the democratically elected Governor Siminalayi Fubara, in favour of Nyesom Wike. Both men have been locked in power contention since 2023.
A member of the House panel confirmed that these concerns were meant to be addressed during the now-postponed session.
“There is more to the indefinite postponement of the interactive session between the Reps panel and the Rivers Administrator than what is being served the public,” a National Assembly source admitted.
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