Some political activists in Rivers State have expressed concerns over the body language of the Sole administrator, which according to them, might be an indication that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu may be extending the State of emergency in the state.

However, they are of the opinion that there is no reason whatsoever to extend the emergency rule in the state which they described as peaceful even before the President took the decision.

Activists and political watchers who spoke to DAILY POST believe that the President was even misled by some politicians in making the declaration, calling on him to end it without further delay.

JomogNews reported that President Bola Tinubu had in a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, March 18, 2025 declared a state of emergency in Rivers State.

The president said he was “greatly disturbed about the political crisis” in the state and accused Governor Siminilayi Fubara of demolishing the State House of Assembly building.

Tinubu said having made an evaluation of the situation, he had decided to “declare a state of emergency from March 18”.

He also suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, all elected members of the House of Assembly of the State and nominated Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas, Rtd, as Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state.

Upon assumption of office, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, on April 9, 2025, appointed administrators for the 23 Local Government Areas of the state, as the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Ibibia Worika disclosed in a Special Government Announcement

In the absence of the suspended Rivers House of Assembly, President Tinubu had last week written to the National Assembly for the consideration and passage of the 2025 budget of the Rivers State Government.

Tinubu said the N1.481 trillion budget is being presented to the National Assembly.

The President said this is in view of the nullification of the state’s 2025 budget by the Supreme Court, and the fact that the state is currently under emergency rule.

Recall that the Rivers Assembly has not been in session following the declaration of state of emergency in the state by the President on March 18, 2025.

Before presenting the state budget to the apex legislative body, the Rivers Sole Administrator had recovered two Toyota Hilux vehicles and one Hiace bus from Deputy governor of the state, Mrs Odu, saying it was a routine administrative action meant to secure State property.

Following some of the appointments made by Ibas, a Niger Delta human rights activist, Ann-Kio Briggs, had accused the sole administrator of pouring petrol to the fire President Bola Tinubu sent him to quench in the state.

This was as she said Ibas’s actions in the state were contrary to what the president sent him to do.

According to the activist, “…he [Ibas] has removed people who were constitutionally and democratically in governance,” talking about the Local Government Chairman who were suspended by the Sole administrator)

“There were no issues, and he came along and removed everybody.

“Even in the government house, it is alleged that he has removed the pictures of Siminalayi Fubara. I repeat Siminalayi Fubara remains the governor of Rivers State,” Ann-Kio Briggs said.

Also, a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus recently said that the actions of Ibas have set the state on a keg of gunpowder

He also implored President Tinubu to resist what he described as a misguided advice and restore Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who has the mandate of the people.

He said, “The President should be guided by the voice of reason by restoring Governor Similaya Fubara, who has the mandate of the people.

“The Sole Administrator’s activities have set Rivers State on a keg of gunpowder, and I weep for my state.

“Sadly Rivers State has found itself on the ugly side of history over the control of Resources and the state by one man.”

Ibas had defied the Port Harcourt Federal High Court ruling and appointed sole administrators for the 23 Local Government of the state.

He did this by suspending all the democratically elected LG chairmen for six months and appointed those that have been described as ‘Wike’s boys’ to run the affairs of the LGAs.

Ibas, among other things, had also dissolved the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, and approved the reconstitution of the electoral body.

He announced the appointment of Michael Odey as the new Chairman with members: Mr Lezaasi Lenee Torbira- Member, Professor (Dr) Arthur Nwafor – Member, Professor Godfrey Woke Mbgudiogha – Member, Professor (Dame) Joyce Akaninwor – Member, Dr (Mrs) Olive A. Bruce – Member, Professor Chidi Halliday.

All members are allegedly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

All this put together, a Port Harcourt-based political activist, legal practitioner and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Chizy Enyi, said he does not see democratic rule being restored in Rivers State soon.

He said that there was no indication that the President will restore the governor during his nationwide broadcast by May 29 as has been rumoured.

In an interview with DAILY POST, Mr. Enyi said, “For those saying that there is likelihood of cutting short the six month suspension of the governor, I think those people must be day dreaming.

“Assuming the president wants that, from today and May 29 that he will address the nation in less than one week, what is the essence of transmitting [Rivers State] budget to the National Assembly?

“Of what essence is it? If he lifts the suspension, the job of the National Assembly to take over the affairs of the Rivers State House of assembly will die down, and then that means that the budget before them will also die. All actions will die down.

“So presenting the appropriation bill of one point something trillion Naira to the National Assembly is evidence that the President is not ready for democratic rule to return to Rivers State.

“Anybody believing that the President will cut short the emergency rule in Rivers State, my dear brother, it is no no thing.

“But history will always repeat itself. We’ll always remember President Tinubu that he sent us too backward and when he was president, this is the extent he has done havoc in the River State.

“As we see currently, everything has been almost suspended because all the contractors have left the sights, including the most used company, Julius Berger has left the sights particularly the Omoku road, Port Harcourt Ring Road, Emehua Rd, and Ogbakiri Road.

“The company working on the Kalabari road has left the site, which one will we mention? Everything about construction has died down.

“And in fact, since there is no more democracy, there is also no more development in Rivers State and Mr President is happy. Do you know the irony of this, Mr president has stayed in office for about two years now he has not visited the Rivers state.

“Why then do we talk of such a person to help us to make progress? Even during his campaign, when he was consulting delegates in the APC, he never deemed it necessary to visit Rivers State.

“Rivers wasn’t part of the states he consulted the delegates during his primary. So he has no reason to even have us as one of the states he will help. So that is it.

“If the President is interested in democratic rule in River State, he has seen that the problem in the state is Wike vs the Governor, and Wike is his personal appointee, if he directs Wike to go and make peace, or he’ll be sacked, the man will have no option.

“Imagine the two gladiators fighting, his minister and the democratically elected Governor of the state and he suspended the governor, leaving his minister. It shows that he really has the minister as his own person, undermining all the democratic structures in Rivers, hence the illegal state of emergency.

“Now, assuming he was also suspended as a minister, Rivers people would have been looking at it from the way of ‘okay, he has refused to favour anybody, even though he knows that his actions are illegal.

“Because when we talked about the suspension of the governor, they said he averted the doomsday, how? The Constitution didn’t anticipate averting the doomsday. The Constitution says, allow the doomsday to come. That is the basis in which action should be taken.”

For Darlington Nwauju, the APC Spokesperson in Rivers State, the emergency rule and suspension of Governor Fubara would go beyond the six months declared by the President.

Mr Nwauju predicted that the emergency rule would be extended by the fact that the Sole administrator wants to stay longer as his actions and body language, according to the APC chieftain, could tell.

According to him, the purpose of declaring a State of emergency in Rivers State, which is primarily to restore peace in the state, has not been met as of today.

“Well, for me, once, we must understand that for every decision that is taken, there is what we call the manifest and the contextual reasons behind such decisions.

“I would agree that there was a Supreme Court decision on 28 February.

“Now as a fallout from that, one of the objectives for directing a state of emergency and a Sole administrator was to allow for all the worrying parties or factions to sheath swords.

“As of today, I cannot say for sure that peace has been restored. I cannot also say for sure that the warring factions have reached an amicable solution or resolution to all the issues, all the points of their grievances.

“Now, I must also point out the fact that in the course of this crisis, Rivers people, and indeed, Nigerians, have not been told in specific terms by both the elected Governor of the State, Sim Fubara and the FCT Minister what the actual [problem] is.

“The other man is saying that nobody should tamper with the structures, and we do not know what the structures are, because we know that in politics, political structures are merely party executives and all that and all that…

“However, we suspect that this whole structure change and this whole argument over political capture of Rivers State by the FCT Minister have everything to do with the resources of the Rivers state.

“Unfortunately, the man who has the mandate of the people of Rivers state to protect the resources of River State and his people has not also told us what the actual challenge is.

“It has only been the people bursting into the air trying to defend democratic structure of Rivers State.

“So far, I will not be able to do much about what is happening because one of the parties involved in this matter is choosing to keep a tight lip.

“He is rather choosing to swallow whatever that is being presented to him. So the question that an ordinary man on the street is now asking is, why must we now start crying more than bereaved?

“Because the man who was given the mandate to protect the resources has himself not told us what the actual issues are.

“Why must Rivers State now find itself in this quagmire which I perceive is ready to take beyond the six months mandate.

“I want to predict that the body language of the Sole administrator is and even his comments and all the attributions to him…gives him a way, as a man who is actually bending towards being beyond the six months period.

“This is based on the interplay of forces on ground in Rivers State, because the president cannot even do much if what is on ground tells him that all is now well in this state, and the people are ready to move away from the season of emergency rule, he [the President] would have no other option than to restore the democratic instructure.

“But I am saying that the interplay of forces, what is happening in Rivers state, it seems to me that the Sole administrator is bending, and if you like to go spiritual about it, is praying to stay beyond six months in the Government House of Rivers State.

“But it is only when the forces on ground, the political actors allow or permit or create the room for the emergency rule to be extended beyond six months, then we would see such an extended intervention.

“But when and if those on ground, the major political actors, have decided to sheath their sword and drop their ego because what I see is more like an ego business if you listen to their conversations.

“If you listen to the interviews of some of the actors, some of the people following Nyesom Wike, you agree with me, you will read in between the lines. You will see the devil in the details that all is not yet well.

“And if there is such a situation that gives room for an extension of the state of emergency, then on the balance of probability, I will not be surprised if this goes beyond the six months period,” he told DAILY POST

The APC chieftains, however, said that it would be for the best interest of democracy for the political actors to know that it should always be about the people and not about a set or class of individuals or the elite.