Ibas Rejects Rivers Assembly’s Call to Probe His Six-Month Spending

A new political storm appears to be brewing in Rivers State. The former Sole Administrator of the state, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), has dismissed the Rivers State House of Assembly’s attempt to investigate his six-month tenure in office. The move by the lawmakers comes just as democratic governance has been restored to the state after a period of emergency rule.

Ibas served as the state’s administrator from March to September 2025, a role he was appointed to by President Bola Tinubu following a state of emergency declaration. He handed over power on September 17, marking the end of the emergency rule and the return of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the state’s lawmakers.

However, the peace may be short-lived. The House of Assembly, in its first major move since resuming sittings, has indicated it will look into the finances of the state during Ibas’s administration. This has been met with a firm rejection from the former administrator’s camp.

According to a statement from his Senior Special Adviser on Media, Hector Igbikiowubu, the House of Assembly’s move is a “fool’s errand.” He argued that since the lawmakers did not appoint Ibas, they have no authority to probe his actions. He also implied that such an investigation would be an attempt to question the President and the National Assembly, which supervised the state’s affairs during the emergency period. The back-and-forth signals a potential new phase of political tension in Rivers State.