By Mercy Aikoye
The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), declined to attend a meeting with the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee on Oversight of the state. The committee, established after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s emergency rule proclamation, had invited Ibas to a meeting scheduled for April 17, 2025.
However, just hours before the meeting, the committee’s spokesman, Akin Rotimi, announced an indefinite postponement. According to Rotimi, the committee had received a formal request from Ibas to reschedule the interactive session.
The committee, led by Hon. Julius Ihonvbere, later rescheduled the meeting for April 24, 2025. Journalists covering the House arrived at the National Assembly Complex, only to find that the panel’s members were having a closed-door meeting.
After about an hour, the committee members emerged but refused to address the press. It was unclear whether any communication had been received from Ibas, who had earlier attended the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The postponement and subsequent silence from the committee raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the meeting. Ibas’s attendance at the NEC meeting suggested that he was available and engaged in official business.
The development left many wondering about the future of the committee’s oversight activities in Rivers State and the relationship between the Sole Administrator and the National Assembly.
