A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has issued a restraining order preventing the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, from inaugurating the newly confirmed chairman and members of the Rivers State Civil Service Commission, pending the determination of a lawsuit challenging their appointment.
Presiding Judge, Justice Frank Onyiri, issued the directive after all parties in the case adopted their final written addresses in a suit filed by members of the previous commission, who were appointed by the suspended Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
Justice Onyiri, who had earlier in April 2024 ordered parties to maintain the status quo, reiterated the caution and adjourned the matter for judgment on September 29, 2025.
The claimants in the suit, Rev. Goodlife Iduoku Ben (former chairman), Amadi Christian Echele, Chimenem Wisdom Jerome, and three others, are challenging what they described as their unlawful suspension and replacement by the sole administrator without due process.
In their affidavit, signed by Rev. Ben, the claimants maintained that their appointments were duly confirmed by the Rivers State House of Assembly, with the records of confirmation properly documented by the Clerk of the House prior to their formal appointment by the Governor.
Also see: Sole Administrator Ibas Inaugurates RSIEC Members
They argue that the sole administrator lacks the constitutional authority to suspend or replace legally appointed and confirmed members of the commission, and have asked the court to nullify the attempted appointments.
The defendants in the case include the Sole Administrator, Ibok-Ete Ibas, the Accountant General of the state, Access Bank, Zenith Bank, and eleven other parties.
The outcome of the case is expected to set a legal precedent on the limits of administrative powers, particularly in the context of ongoing political tensions in the state.
