A wave of political unease has swept through Rivers State as a prominent South-South elder statesman and diplomat, Ambassador Godknows Boladei Igali, has penned a strongly worded open letter to the state’s sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), warning against what he describes as a systematic dismantling of democratic institutions in the state.
In the letter, dated April 3, 2025, and widely circulated on Wednesday, Igali, who is also the National President of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), expressed deep concern over what he called the “tearing down” of Rivers State’s democratic structures under Ibas’ watch, following the declaration of a state of emergency in the state last month.
The letter, titled “Our Deep Concerns Over Tearing Down of Democratic Institutions in Rivers State”, comes amidst ongoing tensions in the state and rising disquiet over decisions taken by the interim administration.
Democratic Backslide Alleged
While acknowledging Admiral Ibas’ distinguished career in public service, Igali lamented that his appointment as a sole administrator came just days after President Bola Tinubu had tasked South-South leaders with restoring peace in Rivers State during a March 11 meeting.
“There was no chance for that,” Igali wrote, expressing disappointment that the emergency rule appeared to sideline the region’s traditional leadership structures and democratic processes. He further referenced Nigeria’s democratic precedent during the Jonathan administration, when even under insurgency-induced emergency declarations, state democratic institutions were left intact.
“An Aberration to All Men of Goodwill”
Igali did not mince words, describing Ibas’ current role as “an embarrassing aberration to all men of goodwill and good conscience,” while also pledging PANDEF’s cooperation in helping to ensure the administrator’s peaceful and timely exit.
Of particular concern to Igali were reports of symbolic and institutional actions he says erode democratic norms. These include the alleged removal of the elected governor’s portraits from government offices, including the Port Harcourt International Airport, and the suspension of boards of statutory bodies such as the State Independent Electoral Commission, the councils of tertiary institutions, and the Traditional Rulers Council.
“These actions are far-reaching and troubling,” he wrote. “They strike at the very foundation of democratic governance we have fought to build since the end of military rule.”
Caution Against Overreach
Drawing from his extensive diplomatic background, Igali emphasized that the responsibilities of a sole administrator are largely administrative and interim in nature—not sweeping in terms of restructuring the institutions of governance.
He listed appropriate duties to include financial oversight, personnel management, and peacebuilding—not the dismantling of key democratic structures.
Igali also cited official documents including the government gazette and National Assembly proceedings, suggesting they do not confer the level of authority being exercised by the administrator.
“In this complex national assignment, you must be timorous enough not to take decisions that pale in the sight of acceptable standards of decency,” Igali advised, in a clear caution against administrative overreach.
A Call for Redemption
Concluding the letter, the former ambassador prayed that Vice Admiral Ibas would allow himself to be “used as a dispassionate instrument of peace,” and urged him to summon the courage to reverse some of the decisions taken so far.
Political observers say the letter adds fuel to an already charged political atmosphere in Rivers State, where calls are growing for a swift return to democratic rule. Meanwhile, the Federal Government is yet to officially respond to the mounting criticisms surrounding the state of emergency declaration and the conduct of the appointed administrator.
Read the letter in full below:
OPEN LETTER FROM AMB. IGALI TO ADM. IBAS
3rd April, 2025
Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), CFR
Administrator,
Rivers State,
Government House,
Port Harcourt.
Dear brother and Admiral,
OUR DEEP CONCERNS OVER TEARING DOWN OF DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS IN RIVERS STATE
I have thought it important and quite pertinent to write to you to raise a matter of serious concern to all watchers of event in Rivers State and particularly leaders of various groups in the South-South of the country. This is as it pertains to what we observe to be a systematic tearing down of various structures, which are important for the continued building and consolidation of democracy in Rivers State right now taking place under your watch.
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2. Before I proceed, let me express my regret that I did not, as expected, send felicitations to you on your appointment to this office. I must say that this has nothing to do with my esteem for you and our joint participation in national service in which God graciously took we both to the very peak of our chosen careers. Conversely, at my last count, I congratulated you both on your appointment as Chief of Naval Staff in 2015 and thereafter as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the Republic of Ghana in 2021.
3. On this occasion of your most recent appointment, I could not extend same brotherly felicitations on account of the fact that I still cannot come to terms that a state of emergency was declared in Rivers State just one week after our most revered leaders had audience with Mr. President on 11th March 2025. On that occasion, he requested leaders of South-South under PANDEF to go and continue with peace building in Rivers State and report back to him. Alas, there was no chance for that. Besides, I have been close enough in government, having worked closely with at least 3 former Presidents to know that the decapitation of democratic institutions in times of emergency rule is alien and repugnant to our current democratic structure.
4. I recall vividly that during the time of President Goodluck Jonathan, the then Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, SAN, was man enough and had the fear of God to tell the then President that even though the parts of the country, i.e., Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe were under foreign invasion, a state of emergency cannot result in pulling down the institutions of democratic governance we are still nurturing after long years of military rule.
5. It was therefore difficult for me, despite the fact that you are a man with a good service record and also one of our proud sons, to endorse you. Because your presence in Rivers State is an embarrassing aberration to all men of goodwill and good conscience.
6. However, PANDEF will work with you to ensure your peaceful tenure and early exit from the scene in Rivers State. That is why we have continually urged our people, particularly the youths and political actors of Rivers State, to accord you maximum cooperation. The more troubling scenario that has emerged from your assumption of office is the unbelievable level of dismantling, disassembling, and raising down all the institutions of democracy that have been in existence in the state. These are many, and I may not be able to exhaustively recount all of them, but the mention of a few will suffice.
7. First is the removal of the photographs of the elected governor from all offices when he has not yet been removed from office. This I saw first-hand at the Port Harcourt International Airport, where I often pass through and was told this was at the behest of your administration. On enquiry, I was told that this has happened in all other government offices around the state. Beyond that, is your most recent decision to suspend the boards of existing statutory institutions such as State Independent Electoral Commission, Governing Councils of Tertiary Institutions, and even the revered Traditional Rulers Council.
8. I do not claim to be an expert on constitutional matters but as one who has been atop in the country’s bureaucracy and from best global practices around the world which I know too well from my diplomatic career of nearly half a century, the duties of a sole administrator as a placeholder are:
i) Making decisions in an interim manner regarding the management and day to day administration of the state;
ii) Financial control, especially receiving money, making payments, and ensuring transparency;
iii) Managing personnel and ensuring other human resource functions; and
iv) Taking measures to ensure peace, particularly using the office to intermediate and bring back peace to the realm in question; in this case, Rivers State.
9. It is against this backdrop that I have been in great pain to write this letter to you and take the liberty to caution that in this complex national assignments which you find yourself enlisted to carry out, you must be timorous enough to not find yourself taking decisions that pale in the sight of best and acceptable standards of decency. This is more so as I have thoroughly read the Gazette dated 19th March, 2025 appointing you as Administrator as well as extracts of National Assembly Proceedings of Thursday, 20th March, 2025 and do not find the kind of wide and sweeping powers being deployed by your office.
10. In conclusion, may the good Lord use you as a dispassionate instrument of peace, and may you have the courage to undo some of your actions that have so far proven to be over the bar.
10. With my regards.
Signed
Godknows Boladei Igali
National President