The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), on Thursday, warned political actors and mischief-makers testing his will, while refuting allegations of high-handedness and impunity leveled against him by civil society groups in the state.
Speaking through his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Hector Igbikiowubo, Ibas frowned on the myriads of fake information by persons he described as mischief-makers, saying such development will not do any good to anyone.
While warning against politically motivated protests to test his will, the Sole Administrator said he would continue to exercise restraint, denying unleashing security agents against protesters.
Speaking in an interview with The PUNCH on Thursday, the Sole Administrator’s aide, Igbikiowubo, said, “The administration’s will is being sorely tested, especially by those who have a penchant for seizing the opportunity to make trouble, mischief-makers.
“You can see that we have had mischief-makers spreading misinformation and disinformation, making claims, putting it up in social media that the suspended governor and his deputy have been summoned whereas there was nothing like that. And unfortunately, some publications ran with it. Now, how much more can the administration prove to anybody that it has exercised restraint of the highest order despite the mandate?
“At this rate what do we want? For the roofs to come down our heads before we the people exercise restraint? There has to be an effort for us to exercise restraint. So, the administration’s will is being surely tested and that is not good for anybody. The administration will continue to exercise restraint and hope that these political actors will exercise restraint.”
He also denied the allegation of high-handedness and abuse of power leveled against him by CSO, saying, “First, we must remember that a state of emergency has been declared in Rivers State. That is the backdrop against which the administrator is operating.
“Given such a mandate, it is easy for civil society organisations—many of which engage in advocacy—to make sweeping claims. If they allege high-handedness, I would say that is far-fetched. The administrator has shown restraint despite the sweeping powers granted by the emergency declaration.”
But speaking in a telephone interview with our correspondent, Ibas’ aide denied the claims, while condemning the spread of false information by what he described as “mischief makers”.
Igbikiowubo warned that such actions would only aggravate the situation and serve no one’s interest.
While acknowledging the charged political climate in the state, Igbikiowubo argued that some of the protests could even be seen as a reflection of the administrator’s tolerance.
“We live in a politically charged atmosphere where some people support the suspended governor while others oppose him,” he said. “It is to the administrator’s credit that no attempt has been made to suppress the protesters. They have been permitted to express their constitutionally protected rights.”
When asked about reports that some protesters had been harassed and teargassed by security operatives, Igbikiowubo blamed “overzealous officers,” stating that Vice Admiral Ibas had given clear directives against any form of suppression.
“The administrator has issued express orders not to muzzle anyone,” he insisted. “But you know how security operatives sometimes overstep their boundaries. That’s not the administrator’s doing.”
“We’ve seen claims circulating on social media that the suspended governor and his deputy were summoned—completely false. Yet some media platforms carried the story,” he said. “How much more restraint can this administration demonstrate?”
Igbikiowubo emphasised that the emergency rule was declared due to fears of a complete breakdown of law and order, but reassured that the administration was committed to fully restoring democratic institutions in Rivers State.
“We all witnessed the chaos that preceded the declaration. You didn’t need a soothsayer to know the state was on the brink. This administration is focused on restoring democracy and needs the support of all well-meaning citizens,” he said.
He called on political players and citizens alike to exercise restraint, saying, “We all owe it to Rivers State to foster an atmosphere of peace.”
