BREAKING: Tinubu Meets Rivers Administrator Ibas as Emergency Rule Nears End

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday held a closed-door meeting with the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The development comes days before the expected end of the emergency rule in the oil-rich state.

POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the meeting lasted over two hours. It comes less than two weeks before the September 18 deadline for the six-month emergency period declared in March amid the political crisis that engulfed the state.

In March, Tinubu suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly, citing escalating tensions and the breakdown of governance. Ibas, a former Chief of Naval Staff, was appointed to administer the state during the emergency, with a mandate to restore order and stabilise governance.

Although the Presidency did not disclose details of Wednesday’s discussions, Villa sources said the talks centred on transition arrangements, security briefings, and the possible handover process as the emergency rule winds down.

Last week, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, speaking after participating in the local government elections in Rivers, confirmed that the emergency measure would elapse on September 18.

The political crisis between Wike and Governor Fubara had triggered months of instability, ultimately leading to Tinubu’s intervention and the imposition of emergency rule.