Appointment of local council administrators by Rivers Sole Administrator Ibas dey illegal – Lawyer
Wia dis foto come from, RSGH Press
Many kwesions don dey come out since di Sole Administrator of Rivers state begin dismantle goment institutions for di state.
Since di suspension of govnor Sim Fubara by President Bola Tinubu, di oil rich state dey without commissioners wey dey run goment operations.
But di Sole Administrator, Rtd Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas say im go run di goment wit Permanent Secretaries.
Di only appointees wey e do for im sef na a Secretary to di State Government and im Chief of Staff.
However, di latest be say oga Ibas don begin make more appointments.
Bifor now, na Heads of Local goments dey run operations for di local councils but no go be di case again as di Sole Administrator don approve di appointments of administrators for di 23 Local goment areas of di state.
For statement by di Secretary to di State goment Prof Ibibia Worika, dia appointment take immediate effect from Monday 7 April, 2025.
Dis dey come despite an order from a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt wey bar di Sole Administrator from appointing administrators to run di local council areas.
End of Di one wey oda users dey read well well
Na on Tuesday Justice Adamu Turaki Muhammed issue di order for case weyone group dem dey call PILEX Centre for Civic Education Initiative file against di Sole Administrator for im official capacity.
Di Sole Administrator also appoint Chairman and members of di Rivers State Electoral Commission. Dia work na to conduct election into di local goment councils.
‘Appointment of LG administrators dey illegal’ - Oshoma
Di Sole Administrator get power to make such appointments?
Dat na di kwesion kontri pipo dey ask as some of dem dey challenge di legality of suspending an elected governor and State Assembly members and appointment a Sole administrator inside democracy.
Di na as di Federal High Court for Port Harcourt schedule 21 May, 2025, to begin hearing on a suit wey Belema Briggs and odas file against President Bola Tinubu, di National Assembly, di Attorney General of di Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, di Sole Administrator of Rivers State, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, and di Nigerian Navy.
Di plaintiffs dey seek a judicial interpretation of di 1999 Constitution of di Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), specifically Sections 1, 4, 5, 11, 180, 188, and 305.
Dem dey ask di court to determine weda, under diz provisions, President Tinubu get di constitutional authority to suspend an elected executive arm of goment in Rivers State, wey dey constitutionally guaranteed a four-year tenure.
Di plaintiffs also dey challenge di declaration of a state of emergency by President Tinubu on March 18, 2025, wey result in di suspension of di Governor, Deputy Governor, and members of di Rivers State House of Assembly.
Political analyst and lawyer, Liborous Oshoma say di Sole administrator only dey appointed to keep peace but now e don dey appoint Caretaker Committee and electoral bodies in a democracy, for di same State wia di Supreme Court bin don give order not to release allocation until elections dey duly conducted but now wit di Sole administrator, dem don release allocation to di State.
E say all dis no dey proper.
"For kontri wey claim say dem fight to pursue di military only to bring am back again in a democracy, den come dey ask weda e dey legal or not, na clear illegality and e dey unfortunate say we dey for kontri wia issues like dis dey allowed to stand and politics don becloud pipo wey suppose speak up and dem dey romanticize and fantasize about am sake of dia political affiliation to di pesin wey take di decision."
Oshoma advise say a way forward na to approach di court for a clear cut interpretation of dat Section 305.
E add say di one wey some PDP governors don approach di Supreme Court dey good - as di 'suspended Governor' no go fit approach di court; di attorney General no go fit approach di court becos di court for Joshua Dariye case, bin take style by implication, recognise dat suspension [of Governor Dariye by then President Obasanjo] and di presumption of correctness in favour of di President dey until di court go invalidate am.
"So now even di Governor or Attorney General no fit go court to fight or question am becos dia response go be to file a preliminary objection, but sake of say e dey removed, e no get locus to stand in court but I hope say di PDP Governors wey get locus go challenge am and make di court give directive on am." E tok.
Court cases to challenge di appointment of a sole administrator
Di Federal High Court for Port Harcourt schedule 21 May, 2025, to begin hearing on a suit wey Belema Briggs and odas file against President Bola Tinubu, di National Assembly, di Attorney General of di Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, di Sole Administrator of Rivers State, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, and di Nigerian Navy.
Di plaintiffs dey seek a judicial interpretation of di 1999 Constitution of di Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), specifically Sections 1, 4, 5, 11, 180, 188, and 305.
Dem dey ask di court to determine weda, under diz provisions, President Tinubu get di constitutional authority to suspend an elected executive arm of goment in Rivers State, wey dey constitutionally guaranteed a four-year tenure.
Di plaintiffs also dey challenge di declaration of a state of emergency by President Tinubu on March 18, 2025, wey result in di suspension of di Governor, Deputy Governor, and members of di Rivers State House of Assembly.
Dem argue say such actions dey constitute a flagrant violation of di constitutional provisions wey dey listed above.
For dia originating summons, di plaintiffs also dey ask di court interpretation of weda di National Assembly get power, under Sections 5, 11, and 305 of di Constitution, to ratify di President proclamation wey effectively suspend di executive arm of di state goment.
Also, eleven PDP Governors also don approach di Supreme Court to challenge di suspension of di Governor of Rivers State.
