Niger Delta human rights activist, Ann-Kio Briggs, on Monday accused the Rivers State Sole Administrator, Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), of worsening the political crisis he was deployed to resolve.
New Telegraph recalls that President Bola Tinubu appointed Ibas, a former Chief of Naval Staff, as the sole administrator in March after he declared a state of emergency following the lingering political tussle in the state.
In the same national broadcast, President Tinubu announced the suspension of the incumbent Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all the State House of Assembly lawmakers.
Speaking weeks after Ibas took over the mantle of leadership of Rivers, Briggs alleged that rather than douse tensions, Ibas was aggravating the situation in the oil-rich state, contrary to President Tinubu’s directive.
The president had justified the decision as necessary to restore peace amid the protracted political standoff between Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
However, appearing on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, Briggs alleged that Ibas was “pouring petrol on the fire.”
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“First of all, I can assure you that he is pouring petrol on a fire Mr President believed was on. He was told to come and pour water on that fire to quench it. Well, he has done nothing of the sort,” she said.
Briggs further accused the Administrator of removing constitutionally elected and appointed officials from office.
“There were no issues, and he came along and removed everybody. Even in the Government House, it is alleged that he has removed the pictures of Siminalayi Fubara. I repeat, Siminalayi Fubara remains the governor of Rivers State,” she said.
The activist also claimed that Ibas was overseeing a state plagued by escalating violence, describing the former naval chief as “unwelcome” in Rivers.
She stressed that while the president had initially set the state of emergency for six months, the decision could still be reversed at any time.
Meanwhile, tensions remain high in Port Harcourt, as two groups of women took to the streets on Monday. While one faction declared support for Ibas and the emergency rule, another group, some of them half-clothed, marched to demand the reinstatement of Governor Fubara.
