Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the appointment of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.) as the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, describing the role as unconstitutional and the planned local government elections under his supervision as illegal.
Atiku, in a statement posted on X on Saturday, cautioned the Nigerian government about the wider consequences of allowing such an arrangement to stand, warning that it could undermine democratic principles across the country.
His reaction came after elder statesman Atedo Peterside publicly condemned the proposed polls, warning the Federal Government against actions that could, in his words, “make nonsense of Nigeria’s democracy.”
Endorsing Peterside’s position, Atiku likened the situation to a spreading fire, saying:
“It is in one’s interest to help put out the fire in your neighbour’s house to safeguard against your house being torched.
I agree that what is playing out in Rivers State, with an illegal sole administrator, unknown to our constitution, conducting council elections, has implications for the rest of the country.
I join other men and women of goodwill to condemn this absurdity unequivocally.”
The controversy comes amid growing political tension in Rivers State over the legality of the sole administrator system, with critics insisting it violates constitutional provisions that require democratically elected local councils.
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