BREAKING: ‘Ibas Has No Power To Sack Commissioners’
A member of the Rivers State Elders and Leaders Council and former spokesperson of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, Anabs Sara-Igbe, has firmly stated that the appointment of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.) as Sole Administrator of Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu is illegal.
Naija News reports that Sara-Igbe also expressed concern over the withholding of the state’s allocation, arguing that funds were withheld on the grounds that Governor Siminalayi Fubara had not presented the state budget, yet the same funds were released to Ibas, whom he claims occupies an unconstitutional office.
Ibas, in a statement issued on Wednesday, announced the suspension of key political appointees of Governor Fubara, including the Secretary to the State Government and Commissioners.
Sara-Igbe, in a chat with Punch, quickly condemned the move, citing the legal implications of Ibas’s position.
“He (the President) has also gone beyond that. The Supreme Court gave a judgment that don’t pay him (Fubara) until he presents the budget. The Governor made every effort to prevent the budget, but they didn’t allow him to present it,” Sara-Igbe said.
He added that despite the ruling, there were attempts to impeach Fubara, which failed after the court admitted evidence and scheduled a ruling for the 16th of the month.
According to Sara-Igbe, Ibas’ actions—such as the suspension of Fubara’s appointees—are unlawful. He argued that the Constitution does not allow for a sole administrator to perform the duties of a governor, and as such, Ibas has no legal authority to carry out these actions.
“So, he (Ibas) has no powers to sack commissioners. He also does not have powers to appoint local government administrators,” Sara-Igbe stated.
He went on to stress that the Supreme Court had already ruled that local government administrators must be elected and not appointed, a ruling which Sara-Igbe believes Ibas’ appointment contradicts.
He also pointed to the fact that President Tinubu had authorized the release of funds to Ibas, a move he described as defying the Supreme Court’s ruling and an act of contempt.
Sara-Igbe expressed concern that those in power are carrying out such unconstitutional actions, suggesting that these individuals- President Tinubu, former Governor Nyesom Wike, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and former Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila are governing Nigeria through fiat rather than constitutional processes.
“We have Bola Tinubu, Nyesom Wike, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Femi Gbajabiamila, the four persons now ruling Nigeria with fiat. And they think they can go away with this. Government go, government come, one day they will be called upon to clear themselves,” Sara-Igbe warned.
He went on to challenge the legality of the actions being taken, stating that if President Tinubu has immunity, it raises the question of whether other individuals involved also enjoy immunity.
“What he is doing is illegal, unconstitutional and therefore null and void. “But I advise him (Ibas) as a senior citizen of this country not to dabble himself into something that he cannot come out from. He had a clean slate and retired,” Sara-Igbe insisted
Sara-Igbe further questioned the legality of local government elections, claiming that the statutory notice period for such elections had not been met, thus making them impossible to conduct.
He stressed that all the actions being taken under Ibas’s leadership are illegal and will be challenged in due course.
“Even the local government election cannot work now because the notice is not up to 12 months; 360 days, that’s what the notice says. So, we will look at it and see how these things will play out. But all what they are doing is illegal,” Sara-Igbe concluded.
He emphasized that Ibas and others responsible for these actions will be held accountable for their decisions and the use of state resources, stating, “They are illegality, null and void and of no effect. They will account for everything, every penny.”
