20, September 2025
The National Coordinator of the South-South Elders Forum in Rivers State,
Anabs Sara-Igbe, National has slammed the tenure of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as sole administrator, describing the intervention as unnecessary and detrimental to the state’s interests.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Sara-Igbe argued that Rivers State wasn’t facing a crisis warranting such a measure, unlike states like Borno, Benue, Plateau, and Nasarawa
According to Sara-Igbe, Ibas’ appointment was flawed from the start, and he didn’t achieve anything significant during his tenure.
He stated, “I don’t know what job the administrator did because Rivers State had been very peaceful before he came, and it has been very peaceful till he left.”
Sara-Igbe also accused Ibas of exploiting the state’s wealth without bringing any benefits to its citizens, saying, “Somebody who is not from Rivers State came in and plundered our resources without any significant development in the state”
It will be recalled that while Governor Siminalayi Fubara was preparing for his return to office following six months of emergency rule in Rivers State, the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), defended his tenure, stressing that he fulfilled the mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and helped stabilise the oil-rich state.
Sara-Igbe believes that peace has returned to Rivers State after the feuding parties, including Governor Sim Fubara and Minister Nyesom Wike, met and resolved their differences.
He emphasized the need to sustain this peace, urging Fubara to reach out to Wike and others close to him to ensure continued peace and development in the state
Opposition parties, however, have demanded an investigation into Ibas’s management of state resources, describing the emergency rule as unconstitutional and illegitimate.