The Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has restrained the Sole Administrator of the state, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, from inaugurating the newly confirmed Chairman and members of the Rivers State Services Commission pending the determination of a suit before it.
Presiding Judge, Justice Frank Onyiri, issued the order after hearing and adopting final written addresses from parties involved in the case instituted by the previously appointed Chairman and members of the commission.
The plaintiffs—Reverend Goodlife Iduoku Ben, Amadi Christian Echele, Chimenem Wisdom Jerome, and three others—are challenging their suspension by the Sole Administrator, describing the action as unlawful and carried out without due process.
In their affidavit, the claimants argue that they were duly appointed and confirmed by the Rivers State House of Assembly and had received their letters of appointment from Governor Siminalayi Fubara prior to his suspension. They insist that the sole administrator lacks the legal authority to remove them from office or appoint replacements.
Justice Onyiri, who had earlier ordered all parties to maintain the status quo as of April 2024, adjourned the case to September 29, 2025, for judgment.
The defendants in the suit include the Sole Administrator, the Rivers State Accountant General, Access Bank, Zenith Bank, and eleven others.
