…as Wike, Fubara snub farewell service
Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, bowed out on Sunday at a farewell thanksgiving service with his tenure concluding with a poignant appeal for peace and reconciliation.
The event, however, was marked by the conspicuous absence of the key figures in the state’s political crisis: Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Appointed by President Bola Tinubu on March 18, 2025, to restore order amid political tensions and militant attacks, Ibas’ six-month emergency rule is set to expire on September 18. At the service, he urged political actors to put the state’s interests above their own.
“The seeds of reconciliation have been planted, but they need your deliberate nurture to take root. Rivers State cannot afford another season of division and acrimony. Politics must never be an excuse to destroy the very state we are called to serve,” Ibas said.
His call for unity comes as the state braces for a return to a regular political order, a transition clouded by the deep-seated rivalry between Wike and Fubara.
The absence of both men at the service underscored the lingering animosity and the uncertain path ahead for Rivers State.
Despite their absence, the event drew a wide audience, including permanent secretaries, local government chairmen, and security commanders. Reflecting on his tenure, Ibas expressed gratitude for the stability achieved, citing the successful conduct of local government elections as a key accomplishment.
“Let us forgive, let us reconcile, and let us heal. For where there is peace, there is progress, and where there is love, there is prosperity,” he concluded, a final plea that now hangs in the air as the state’s political future awaits its next chapter.
