September 28, (THEWILL) — A few hours after he officially handed over the reins of administration to Governor Siminalayi Fubara at the end of the six-month emergency rule on Thursday, September 18, 2025, Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.) immediately faced another controversy. This time, it is a scrutiny of his tenure as Sole Administrator.
Except Governor Fubara who has uttered not a word, the Rivers public and the reinstated lawmakers jointly want Ibas to render an account of his tenure.
Initially, Ibas was summoned by the Martins Ameawhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly, but he fiercely resisted the lawmakers, describing them as lacking the powers to summon him. According to him, the only authority that can query him is President Tinubu, who appointed him.
Available data shows that the oil rich state received about N150 billion in Internally Generated Revenue between March and September 2025 ( the life span of the emergency rule). During the same period, the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee, FAAC, allocation reached N254.37 billion. Also, Governor Fubara reportedly left behind a total of N300 billion before he was suspended. Moreover, the Senate approved a take -off budget of N22 billion upon request by President Bola Tinubu in March, 2025.
Rivers Assembly resolutions on the matter states, “To explore the process of knowing what transpired during the emergency rule, with regard to spending from the consolidated revenue fund for the award of contracts and other expenditure.”
Ibas’ media aide, Mr Hector Igbikiowubu, rejected moves by the Rivers Assembly, dismissing it as, “an unnecessary display of power.”
While he acknowledged the powers of oversight of the lawmakers, he, however, disagreed with their approach. He asked if the lawmakers were the appointees of the Sole Administrator.
“But like I asked earlier, were they the ones that appointed the administrator? So, if you didn’t appoint the administrator, it goes to reason that you have certain limitations. When you also realise that the administrator was appointed by the President, it goes without reason that the administrator acted for and on behalf of the President,” he reportedly said, adding, “When you also reason that the administrator was supervised by the National Assembly, it goes without reason that when you decide to probe the administrator, you’re invariably saying that you will be probing the administrator and the National Assembly.
THEWILL gathered that the Presidency was miffed that Ibas would be referencing President Bola Tinubu as the only one who can question him on accountability and due process as it raised the suspicion that the President was giving him daily orders to run the administration for which he had been appointed on trust. Yet he did not consider it necessary to render accounts immediately he vacated the office.
Worse off, he had to wait for the President to summon him in the face of the allegations of financial mismanagement swirling around him soon after he left office.
To remedy the situation, the President had to wade into the matter on Thursday. Ibas answered the summons immediately. He reportedly arrived at the presidential villa around 5:50 pm on that day, accompanied by the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun and EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukayede.
Edun had earlier entered the villa, left and returned with a file, indicating the meeting’s seriousness. Ibas’ meeting with President Tinubu is believed to be connected to the Assembly’s investigation plans, but details of the closed-door meeting are yet to be made public. The former administrator’s rejection of the probe has set the stage for a potentially contentious examination of his tenure.
Meanwhile, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called for a probe into the financial dealings of the former Sole Administrator. SERAP demanded clarity on how the Sole Administrator managed over N254.37 billion received from the Federation Account between March and August 2025.
In a Freedom of Information (FoI) request, the rights group asked Ibas to account for allocations, including a reported N22 billion allegedly budgeted for installing CCTV at the State House. Saying that Nigerians have the right to know how FAAC allocations, IGR and donations were spent under emergency rule, SERAP argued that full disclosure would promote transparency, accountability and help to address allegations of corruption or mismanagement during his tenure.
According to SERAP, its request aligns with the Freedom of Information Act, Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution, Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights—all of which guarantee citizens the right to access official information.
The group maintained that access to such details is a fundamental tool for public scrutiny, ensuring that government activities remain open to oversight and truth-seeking. It insisted that the emergency rule in Rivers State cannot be used as a cover to withhold critical financial records.
Similarly, other Civil Society Organisations in Rivers State, namely the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations and the Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO, have vowed to ensure Ibas was held to account for his tenure to maintain a full closure to the “illegality,” of the period. have demanded accountability from the sole administrator over the money the state received from FAAC.
Enefaa Georgewill, Chairman of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Rivers State, who faulted the manner of Ibas appointment, insisted that the Sole Administrator cannot receive and spend without audit and render account.
Georgewill said, “We will be calling on the Rivers State Governor to set up a panel of inquiry to ascertain how much he received both in terms of federal allocation and Internally Generated Revenue and how he expended it. This is because we suspect corruption. The reason being that almost all the major projects are stalled, even the House of Assembly Complex, which he tried to touch; he couldn’t even finish it. So, we will be calling on the governor and financial regulatory agencies to make sure that they question how the funds of Rivers State were expended.”
His CLO counterpart in Rivers State Emma Obe, said, “It has always been our position that the government in Rivers State under this emergency rule has been operating illegally because it didn’t follow what the Constitution prescribes. And so, whatever they have been doing is founded on this basis, and we have always asked for accountability.
President Tinubu had declared a state of emergency on Rivers State on March 18, 2025, leading to the suspension of Governor Fubara, his Deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu and the 32-member House of Assembly. In their places, he appointed Ibas to preside over the affairs of the state. The regime ended on September 18, 2025 when President Tinubu announced the restoration of democratic governance and Ibas vacated office having sworn-in Dr. Iyingi Brown as Head of Service.
With the allegation of financial misappropriation hanging over his head and the stakeholders still to fully come to terms with the aftermath of emergency rule, Ibas may remain the spotlight for some time to come.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
