By Deborah Nnamdi
There was an eerie calm in Port Harcourt and other parts of Rivers State on Thursday afternoon, as the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), took over the reins of government in the state, arrived in the state to begin his duties.
It would be recalled that Ibas was announced as the administrator of the state by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, during a national broadcast on Tuesday, after the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the House of Assembly.
Ibas landed at the Port Harcourt International Airport around 11:25 am on Thursday, where he was welcomed by senior officials and security personnel.
Accompanied by the state’s Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, and the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 16, Ibas proceeded directly to the Government House in Port Harcourt.
Upon his arrival at the Government House, he was given a tour by various government officials. He is currently engaged in a closed-door meeting with senior security officers, a Federal Government delegation, and state officials.
Vice Admiral Ibot-Ete Ibas (Retd) was on Wednesday inaugurated as the Administrator of Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu.
Ibas was announced as the Administrator of Rivers State on Tuesday evening by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who announced the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his Deputy Prof Ngozi Ordu, along with the members of the state assembly.
The President based his decision on the ongoing political conflict between Fubara and four state assembly members on one side, and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, along with 27 House members, on the other.
Meanwhile, an uneasy calm has pervaded the oil-rich state since the suspension of Fubara and the House of Assembly, with many citizens expressing concerns about the implications on the safety of lives and properties.
There were also concerns that the incident could lead to a tribal clash between the Ikwerre and Ijaw ethnic groups in the Port Harcourt metropolis. The suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Nyesom Wike, his estranged godfather and mediate past governor from the Ijaw and Ikwerre ethnic stock in the state.
