Tensions flared at the National Assembly on Wednesday as members of the House of Representatives Committee on Rivers State Oversight staged a dramatic walkout following the repeated absence of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), the Sole Administrator of Rivers State.
The committee, chaired by Hon. Julius Ihonvbere, had summoned Ibas to appear before it to provide crucial insights into the ongoing state of emergency in Rivers and governance developments under his watch. However, for the second time in a week, Ibas failed to honor the invitation.
Originally scheduled for April 17, the meeting was postponed at Ibas’s request and rescheduled for April 24. But when lawmakers convened in Committee Room 301 at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, the seat reserved for the embattled administrator remained glaringly vacant.
Ibas’s no-show sparked visible outrage among committee members. After a tense few minutes of waiting, lawmakers began walking out in protest, some shaking their heads in disbelief, others muttering in frustration. Committee Chairman Hon. Ihonvbere offered no lengthy remarks, saying only, “No words. I will issue a statement later in the day.”
The snub is seen as a deepening of the standoff between the legislative arm and the Rivers State administration under emergency rule. It also raises questions about transparency and accountability in the state’s interim governance amid heightened political and security concerns.
