Tinubu, Rivers Administrator Ibas Meet as Emergency Rule Winds Down
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday met behind closed doors with the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The meeting comes just days before the expiration of the six-month emergency rule imposed on the oil-rich state, which is set to end on September 18. According to Broadscope Network, the session lasted over two hours.
In March, President Tinubu suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly, citing political unrest and a breakdown of governance. He then appointed Ibas, a former Chief of Naval Staff, to oversee the state’s affairs with a mandate to restore order.
Although the Presidency did not issue an official statement after Wednesday’s talks, Villa insiders revealed that discussions focused on transition plans, security updates, and the likely handover process once the emergency rule lapses.
Last week, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, after participating in the Rivers local government elections, confirmed that the emergency administration would end on September 18.
The crisis, rooted in the bitter political feud between Wike and Governor Fubara, plunged the state into months of instability, prompting the President’s intervention earlier this year.
