Barth Ndubuwah, Port Harcourt
A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has issued an interim order restraining the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), from inaugurating the newly confirmed Chairman and members of the Rivers State Civil Service Commission.
The order was granted on Monday by Justice Frank Onyiri, pending the determination of a suit challenging the removal of the former Commission members by the Sole Administrator upon assuming office.
The decision followed the adoption of final written addresses by legal representatives of all parties involved in the case, which was filed by the suspended Chairman and members of the Commission appointed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara before his suspension.
Justice Onyiri had, in April 2025, directed all parties to maintain the status quo, a position reiterated during Monday’s proceedings. The matter has been adjourned to 29 September 2025 for further hearing or ruling.
The claimants , Rev. Goodlife Iduoku Ben, Amadi Christian, Chimenem Wisdom Jerome, and three others , are challenging their removal, which they argue was carried out unlawfully and without due process.
They maintain that they were duly appointed and confirmed by the Rivers State House of Assembly, with records of their confirmation lodged with the Clerk of the Assembly before official appointment letters were issued by the Governor.
In an affidavit deposed to by Rev. Goodlife Iduoku Ben, the claimants assert that the Sole Administrator lacks the legal authority to suspend or replace members of the Commission without following established procedures.
The defendants listed in the suit include the Sole Administrator, the State Accountant General, Access Bank, Zenith Bank, and eleven others.