ABUJA — President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, summoned Ibok-Ete Ibas, the retired naval officer who served as sole administrator of Rivers State during six months of emergency rule, to the State House in Abuja.
Ibas arrived at the presidential villa shortly before 6 p.m., around the same time as Ola Olukoyede, chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and Wale Edun, minister of finance.
The agenda of the meeting was not immediately disclosed.
The summons comes just days after Rivers lawmakers resolved to investigate the management of the state’s finances during the period of emergency rule.
Ibas, however, has publicly rejected the assembly’s decision.
On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, President Tinubu imposed emergency rule in Rivers State following an escalating political crisis.
The measure suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and the entire state assembly.
Ibas, a former chief of naval staff, was appointed to run the state as sole administrator during the six-month period.
His tenure ended on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, when the emergency measures were lifted.
Fubara was directed to resume office as governor the following day, alongside his deputy and the reinstated assembly.
Since the resumption of legislative activities in Port Harcourt, the Rivers assembly has signalled its intention to scrutinise financial decisions made during Ibas’s administration.
Lawmakers say they are concerned about the handling of state resources in the absence of elected oversight.
Ibas, however, dismissed the resolution, arguing that the assembly has no authority to probe his stewardship.
His rejection has intensified speculation about the reason for his meeting with the president and senior financial officials.
The presence of both the EFCC chairman and the finance minister at the villa meeting suggests the discussions may have included issues related to financial accountability or allegations of mismanagement.
Neither the presidency nor the EFCC provided details about the outcome of the talks.
Tinubu’s handling of the Rivers situation has drawn close national attention since the emergency rule was imposed.
The crisis, marked by political divisions and governance disputes, has been widely viewed as a test of the administration’s approach to maintaining order in restive states.
With Fubara now back in office and the assembly pressing forward with its probe, the focus is likely to remain on whether the former administrator will face formal scrutiny over the state’s financial records.
