A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has barred the state’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), from inaugurating the newly confirmed chairman and members of the Rivers State Civil Service Commission, pending the outcome of an ongoing legal suit.
The restraining order was issued on Monday by Justice Frank Onyiri after both sides adopted their final written arguments in a case filed by former commission members appointed by the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The plaintiffs — Goodlife Ben, Amadi Echele, Chimenem Jerome, and three others — are contesting their removal by Ibas. They argue that their appointments were legitimate, having received confirmation from the Rivers State House of Assembly and proper documentation from the House Clerk.
In their sworn affidavit, the claimants asserted that the sole administrator lacks the legal powers to suspend or replace them.
Justice Onyiri ordered all parties involved to maintain the status quo until the court delivers its final judgment, scheduled for September 29, 2025.
The suspended officials are among several government appointees recently dismissed by the sole administrator, including members of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission.
