Rivers State sole administrator Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd) failed to show up for his Thursday meeting in Abuja with the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on oversight.
The committee earlier invited Mr Ibas for a comprehensive engagement on his activities in Rivers State after the declaration of emergency rule by President Bola Tinubu. But according to the House spokesperson, Akin Rotimi, the meeting has been postponed indefinitely at the request of the sole administrator.
He said: “In the spirit of transparent and effective oversight, the committee will promptly inform the public once the rescheduled date is confirmed.’’
Meanwhile a coalition of 35 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Rivers State has petitioned the House of Representatives, denouncing what they described as “severe and brazen acts of lawlessness and impunity” by the state’s administrator.
In a letter titled “Severe and Brazen Acts of Lawlessness and Impunity Being Carried Out by the Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete-Ibas, and the Need to Nip Them in the Bud in the Interest of Mutual Peace and Constitutionalism.
“The conduct of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas is not only reckless and unconstitutional but also a slap in the face of democratic values. His actions have continued to aggravate political instability and institutional breakdown in Rivers State,” the groups stated in the letter.