Outgoing Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), has defended the state of emergency declared earlier this year, describing it as a necessary intervention to restore peace amid political and security turmoil.

President Bola Tinubu imposed emergency rule in Rivers on March 18, 2025, following a political impasse that threatened governance.

Speaking on Tuesday at Government House, Port Harcourt, during a public lecture titled “Good Governance and Democratic Dividends” delivered by Prof. Abiodun Amuda-Kanmike, SAN, Ibas said the intervention brought calm under extraordinary circumstances.

“The peacefully conducted local government council elections restored democratic governance to the grassroots, the level of government closest to the people. Emergency rule was never a choice; it was a necessity brought upon us by insecurity, political impasse, and breakdown of trust,” he said.

He described the lecture as more than an intellectual engagement, calling it “a covenant renewal with the people.” He thanked Rivers residents for their support throughout his six-month administration, recalling that last Sunday’s thanksgiving service highlighted the role of God and the resilience of the people in the state’s recovery.

Reflecting on his tenure, Ibas said:
“When we began this assignment on March 18, 2025, our core mandate was to restore peace and stability. By the grace of God and with the cooperation of all stakeholders, we have come this far. Yet in hindsight, it offered us enduring lessons that peace is priceless. Without security, no other aspiration is possible; when governance is weakened, opportunism fills the vacuum, endangering lives and livelihoods. The indomitable spirit of Rivers people cannot be brokennthey endured, persevered, and remained steadfast. The stability we have restored is the foundation upon which democracy is now rebuilt.”