Renowned human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has urged the Federal Government to promptly remove the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, over what he described as a violation of constitutional procedures and a disregard for directives issued by President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement shared with Vanguard on Thursday, Falana pointed to the Federal Government Gazette that outlines the legal framework guiding the Sole Administrator’s role. The document quotes President Tinubu as stating that the administrator’s operations must align with regulations issued by him. However, Falana highlighted that no such regulations have been issued to date.
“Despite the absence of any regulations from the President, the Sole Administrator has gone ahead to appoint and dismiss officials previously selected by Governor Siminalayi Fubara,” Falana said.
He criticized these actions as unlawful and stressed that continuing to defy the President’s directives only further exposes the irregularity of Ibas’ appointment. Falana asserted, “By disregarding the President’s authority, the Sole Administrator has aggravated the illegitimacy surrounding his appointment. His removal is imperative and should not be delayed any further.”
This call for action comes amid ongoing political tensions in Rivers State, where disputes over appointments and jurisdiction between state and federal authorities have sparked intense public and legal scrutiny.
Source : https://www.vanguardngr.com/
