The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State has accused the state’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibom Ibas (retd.), of systematically dismantling governance structures established by suspended Governor Siminialayi Fubara.
The party claims that Ibas is working to erase Fubara’s influence and replace it with a new administration aligned with the interests of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike.
State PDP Chairman Nname Ewor made these claims while reacting to statements from Dr. George Nweke, the former Head of Service in Rivers. Ewor alleged that Nweke, once a senior government official, has turned against Fubara to serve political interests outside the state.
He further accused Nweke of spreading misinformation in an attempt to discredit the suspended governor and his team.
Ewor also criticized the recent state of emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu in Rivers, questioning its necessity. He argued that the state was not experiencing war, a major security threat, or a natural disaster that would justify such drastic measures.
Instead, he suggested that the emergency declaration was politically motivated, designed to weaken Fubara’s leadership and consolidate power under the sole administrator.
The PDP chairman also addressed specific allegations made by Nweke, including claims that Fubara was involved in the bombing of the Rivers State House of Assembly and that he had pledged support for Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed in the 2027 presidential election.
Ewor dismissed these accusations as baseless, insisting they were fabricated to damage Fubara’s reputation and create division within the party.
He said: “Nwaeke, highly compromised and a serial betrayer, became a ready tool in the hands of the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, to carry out a campaign of calumny, libel, defamation, and distortion of facts against our Governor and his team, the chairman of PDP Governors Forum, Bala Mohammed, Bauchi State Governor, Ijaw nation, Militants, etc.”
Meanwhile, retired judge Justice Miakpor Emiaso has condemned President Tinubu’s decision to release Rivers State’s federal allocation to the sole administrator, calling it unconstitutional. He argued that there is no legal provision for appointing a sole administrator to govern a state, and any action taken under such an appointment is null and void.
He said: “It is unlawful, it is unconstitutional, you cannot release funds to a sole administrator, and I mean it is very wrong. The constitution does not conceive of a situation where you even appoint a sole administrator to run a state. Appointing a sole administrator is unconstitutional; anything the sole administrator does there is ultra vires, null, and void because there is no arrangement under the constitution for the appointment of a sole administrator to administer a state.”
