The House of Representatives ad hoc committee overseeing the emergency administration in Rivers State has indefinitely postponed its scheduled meeting with the state’s Sole Administrator, Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas.
This was disclosed in a statement released on Thursday by the House spokesperson, Rep. Akin Rotimi, in Abuja. According to the statement, the postponement follows a formal request by Ibas, and the committee is working to agree on a new date for the engagement.
“In the spirit of transparent and effective oversight, the committee will promptly inform the public once a new date is confirmed,” Rotimi assured.
The ad hoc committee, led by Rep. Julius Ihonvbere, was inaugurated on Tuesday to monitor developments and ensure proper governance in Rivers State following the declaration of emergency rule by President Bola Tinubu.
President Tinubu, on March 18, 2025, invoked Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State, citing threats to national stability. He also suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all members of the state House of Assembly for six months. Vice Admiral Ibas was subsequently appointed as Sole Administrator to manage the state’s affairs during the emergency period.
The emergency proclamation and subsequent suspensions sparked widespread backlash from various stakeholders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, ex-Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi, and other prominent Nigerians such as Atedo Peterside, Nasir El-Rufai, and Femi Falana, SAN. Civil society groups and professional bodies like the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Labour Party (LP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) also condemned the move as unconstitutional.
Despite the controversy, the National Assembly ratified the emergency rule within 48 hours of the presidential directive.
The last time Nigeria witnessed a similar imposition of emergency rule was in May 2013, when then-President Goodluck Jonathan declared it across the insurgency-hit northeastern states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa.
