Emergency Rule: Ibas lauded for showing uncommon leadership in Rivers

The National Patriotic Front (NPF) has praised the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), for what it called “bold and transformative steps” in stabilising the state under emergency rule.

In a weekend statement from Port Harcourt, signed by its President, Marcus Dakas, the group said Ibas had shown “uncommon leadership” in guiding Rivers through its most delicate period in recent history.

Contrary to fears that emergency rule would deepen instability, the group said Ibas had restored calm, strengthened institutions, and initiated critical projects reshaping the state’s development path.

“What many thought would be a lost period of drift has become, under his watch, a season of renewal and a rebirth of confidence in governance,” Dakas said.

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“His interventions in security, infrastructure and preparations for democratic transition deserve recognition from all Nigerians.”

The group highlighted security as the bedrock of Ibas’s tenure, crediting the joint security patrols for reducing violent crime and communal unrest. Port Harcourt and its environs, once tense, now enjoy “a remarkable return to peace and social life.”

“Markets are bustling again, businesses are reopening with confidence, and residents are experiencing a sense of safety long absent from their daily lives,” Dakas added.

NPF also commended Ibas for infrastructure and social investments, including the reconstruction of the Rivers State House of Assembly, the completion of the Mother and Child Hospital to be integrated into the state university teaching hospital, and oversight of the N150 billion Port Harcourt Ring Road project.

On the democratic transition, the group praised Ibas for funding the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RVSIEC) ahead of the August 30, 2025, local government elections.

“By empowering RVSIEC and fixing a date for grassroots elections, Admiral Ibas has shown his sincerity of purpose. His commitment to democratic restoration should reassure Rivers people and silence the cynics,” Dakas said.

The group welcomed the recent commendation by the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee on Rivers State, saying it confirmed that “the emergency administration is not only succeeding but has achieved its goal.”

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Concluding, NPF described the emergency period as “a season of grace” that has turned crisis into opportunity.

“Emergencies are often associated with despair, but in Rivers this one is producing renewal. Admiral Ibas has laid the foundation for peace, stability and stronger democratic governance. History will remember this as a rebirth, not a pause,” Dakas said.