Rivers sole administrator Ibas only accountable to Tinubu, Akpabio, Wike – NADECO

The United States, US, chapter of the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, has called on the sole administrator in Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd) to resign from his position.

NADECO explained that President Bola Tinubu lacks the constitutional powers to suspend Governor Sim Fubara and appoint a sole administrator.

Ibas was appointed after Tinubu suspended Fubara for six months following the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

Tinubu said he took the decision to prevent further escalation of the political crisis in Rivers State.

However, the President of NADECO in US, Lloyd F. Ukwu, said Ibas would only be accountable to Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, and not the people of Rivers State.

In a statement he signed, Ukwu said: “Nigeria operates as a federation, and Rivers State is a sovereign entity within it. As President, Tinubu lacks the constitutional authority to unilaterally suspend an elected governor like Fubara.

“Rivers State is not a subordinate institution, neither is it a High School and Tinubu is not its overseer and not the Principal of a high school who can suspend a student willy-nilly.

“To be clear, his own presidency remains under a cloud of illegitimacy, having been declared the winner by INEC despite widespread irregularities and disputes over the election’s credibility.

“It is both absurd and unjust for a president whose mandate is contested to attempt the removal of a legally and duly elected governor.

“The irony is glaring—a leader accused of electoral fraud seeking to undermine democratic governance in Rivers State. In a democracy, sovereignty resides with the citizens, not with an unelected administrator or an aspiring autocrat or want-to-be civilian dictator in Abuja.

“Governments derive their legitimacy from the consent of the governed—leaders are entrusted with the power to serve the people, not to rule over them by imposing an administrator over them. The people of Rivers State exercised their democratic right in 2023 by electing Siminalayi Fubara as their governor.

“They did not choose an imposed administrator. NADECO therefore demands the immediate resignation of this illegitimate appointee.

“True democracy requires that governance be rooted in the people’s will, expressed through free and fair elections. The current administrator is an imposter and a usurper, lacking any mandate from the people. NADECO calls on Rivers people to unequivocally reject him.

“This imposed administrator is accountable not to Rivers people but to Tinubu, Akpabio, Kereke Ekun, and Wike. His allegiance lies with these political actors, not with the citizens he claims to govern.

“The principle of “Power to the People” is enshrined in Nigeria’s constitution and international human rights instruments, including the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“Upholding this principle, NADECO insists that Rivers people must completely and resolutely reject this illegal administrator, forcing his resignation. Anything less is unacceptable.”