Rivers State, in Nigeria’s oil-rich South-South state, has been in the eye of the storm for some time as political actors are at daggers drawn. In March 2025, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the state and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara; his deputy Ngozi Odu; and members of the State Assembly. The president immediately appointed ex-naval chief Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as sole administrator. However, a recent presidential-brokered peace meeting involving Fubara; his predecessor Nyesom Wike, and others may be a game-changer but many still doubt that real progress has been made. In this exclusive interview with Channels Television, activist Ann-Kio Briggs gives insight into the situation.
What’s your take on the situation with the Rivers State Electoral Commission (RSIEC), especially now that Michael Odeh, who is not from Rivers State, has been confirmed by the Senate as chairman? The Senate Leader argues there’s no law stopping a non-indigene from holding the position. Do you agree with him?
For Rivers people, we believe that we are being taken advantage of. We believe that we’re being pushed to the wall and that somehow, some people sitting somewhere are using the law, using the constitution as and when it pleases them and abusing the constitution as and when it pleases them and expecting some kind of reaction that they can use against the state.
Which state can endure what Rivers people are enduring, whether it is constitutional or not? It’s something that Rivers people, at one time or the other, believe it or not, are going to get tired of and are going to react to.
Now, there is already an acceptance that the state of emergency declared on the 18th of March by Mr President was not only unconstitutional to a very large extent because you can declare a state of emergency but nowhere does it say that you can suspend the governor, the deputy governor, and the State House of Assembly members.
The man who was brought in, Ibas, is not a Rivers man and he was not elected by Rivers people. This is unconstitutional. Now, he came in and he unconstitutionally removed people that the governor placed in constitutionally recognised positions. He removed them. He then went further to create sole administrators for local governments. What is his business? Why is the government insisting that he must conduct an election? Why is the government insisting that this sole administrator must conduct the local government election? Let us assume that this election is going to take place, and people are going to be elected, and the governor is going to come back. When the governor comes back, is he going to work with people he doesn’t know?
Every single time something has happened, there are people in court. Yet, we have a government that refuses to acknowledge or respect the rights of the people of Rivers State to be heard in court. The judiciary itself, which is supposed to checkmate the other arm of government, is now part of the government that it is supposed to checkmate. Therefore, it has thrown Rivers people under the bus. The Federal Government, the Senate, and the FCT Minister have conspired against the rights and the people of Rivers State. But how long are we going to be able to contain the anger that is brewing, the frustration that is brewing? Rivers people have been thrown under the bus.
The reason for the declaration of a state of emergency, as I have said all along, never existed. The President was deceived; he was lied to. And as long as he continues to act on what he is being told without hearing the people of Rivers State, then the people of Rivers State are victims of the presidency and private individuals. The president’s decision to suspend elected officials under the state of emergency is now a constitutional matter before the Supreme Court. Has this state of emergency brought any real solution to Rivers State?
It should never have been declared. The state of emergency has actually become the problem. We were told it was declared because the President believed it was in the best interest of Rivers State. Now, we Rivers people are saying to the President: it is not in our best interest.
Look, the man who has been confirmed as the chairman of RSIEC—it’s constitutional and democratic that only the governor, by law, is supposed to appoint this chairman, and not less than five or more than seven other members. It is the governor’s duty. Ibas is not the governor of Rivers State. So that alone is something that is wrong and unacceptable to Rivers people.
We all know how the president today (Bola Tinubu) fought the then-president Olusegun Obasanjo when he attempted to do something similar in Lagos State. Now, we have a Cross River man, Ibas, who is not an elected official, overseeing our money and our lives. I don’t know if we’ve been sold to Cross River by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
We now have someone telling us what to do, someone we didn’t elect. We now have a man who is going to oversee an election we don’t believe in. I, for one, will never believe in the results of an election conducted by him in August. It’s plain as black and white that this is a well-thought-out, well-strategised situation being imposed on the elected governor of Rivers State.
To the extent that this continues, and the governor himself is now either tied down for whatever reason or has accepted whatever is going to be done. That cannot be in the interest of Rivers people. It is also not in the interest of the governor we elected. We expect him to fight for us. Right now, we feel that he is not.
Some say Governor Fubara isn’t doing enough to reclaim his seat, while others believe he’s choosing peace. With the court yet to decide the legality of appointing a sole administrator and removing elected officials, is there any sign that a local government election is being planned in Rivers State?
The governor is peaceful and quiet, yes. But the governor also has to fight for the people of Rivers State. And we’re calling on the government of Rivers State to explain further to us. We need an explanation. We don’t have an understanding of why these illegalities are going on, and it is being allowed to go on by the courts, and by the Federal Government.
