By Ayo Kehinde
Rivers State administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Étè Ibas (retd.), has urged political actors in the state to put aside rivalry and personal ambition in the interest of peace and progress.
Speaking on Sunday at the Ecumenical Centre, Port Harcourt, during an interdenominational thanksgiving service marking the state’s transition back to democratic governance, Ibas appealed to stakeholders to “sheath their swords,” stressing that no political gain should come at the expense of lives.
“The progress and prosperity of Rivers State must stand above personal or partisan gain. No political victory, no personal ambition is worth the blood of our brothers and sisters,” he said.
The retired naval chief, who was appointed sole administrator in March after President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers, said the crisis had paralysed governance in the oil-rich state until recent efforts restored relative calm.
He thanked Tinubu for his support and called on youths to resist being used as instruments of violence, while urging elders and faith leaders to continue guiding the state towards reconciliation.
The Rivers crisis erupted in December 2023 after Governor Siminalayi Fubara demolished the state House of Assembly complex, triggering a prolonged battle with lawmakers loyal to Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike.
It worsened with mass defections in the Assembly, court battles, and attacks on oil facilities.
The Supreme Court, in February 2025, faulted Fubara’s actions as unconstitutional and warned that the absence of a functioning legislature had collapsed governance in the state.
At Sunday’s thanksgiving, Ibas said the seeds of reconciliation had been planted but needed to be nurtured deliberately to secure lasting peace
