Tinubu Directs Rivers Sole Administrator to Submit Handover Report Ahead of Fubara’s Return

RYNI News | Omotayo Stephen . O
13 September 2025

The political tides in Rivers State are set for another dramatic turn as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the state’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), to compile a comprehensive handover note before bowing out of his six-month emergency stewardship. The directive, issued after a closed-door meeting in Aso Rock last week, is being interpreted as a green light for the long-awaited return of suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

Reliable sources confirm that Ibas, who is currently on a 10-day vacation, was handed a no-nonsense instruction to present a detailed report of his interim reign before his official exit. The handover file, expected to reach Tinubu’s desk two days before Ibas returns, must capture inherited funds from Fubara’s sidelined government, internally generated revenue, expenditure trails, and a clear breakdown of projects executed during his brief but controversial tenure.

This development appears to slam the brakes on lobbying efforts by some lawmakers in Abuja, who had been pushing for an extension of Ibas’s stay in power. Had they succeeded, Rivers would have remained under emergency rule until January 2026, delaying the restoration of democratic governance.

Instead, all eyes are now on September 18, when Fubara, his deputy Professor Ngozi Odu, and the state’s embattled 32-member House of Assembly are expected to return to their respective offices—unless, as political watchers caution, fresh twists derail the plan.

But Fubara’s return is being tied with invisible strings. Presidency insiders whisper that the governor has signed onto strict conditions to reclaim his seat. Chief among them is his pledge not to seek re-election in 2027, effectively making him a one-term occupant of Brick House. Even more, Fubara is said to have submitted to the political supremacy of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, conceding the power to nominate candidates for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers’ local government elections.

The suspended governor has also reportedly agreed to settle the backlog of allowances and entitlements owed to the 27 pro-Wike lawmakers suspended from the House of Assembly. In return, the legislators are expected to sheath their swords and grant him the legislative backing required to complete his term without further turbulence.

For many observers, the unfolding script is less about justice and more about power chess, with Tinubu acting as the grandmaster ensuring that the pieces fall into place. Rivers State, with its oil-rich status and history of political volatility, has once again become a national spectacle, with its fate decided in hushed meetings far from Port Harcourt’s streets.

As the countdown begins, uncertainty lingers. Will Fubara’s comeback restore calm or ignite a fresh round of political fireworks? Will Ibas’s handover report expose fault lines or provide a smooth runway for transition? For now, what is certain is that Tinubu has set the stage, and Rivers State is bracing itself for the next act in its high-stakes political drama.

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