Fresh looms in Rivers as New LG Administrator Appointed By Ibas Tears Down Fubara’s Billboard

Fresh looms in Rivers as New LG Administrator Appointed By Ibas Tears Down Fubara’s Billboard

 

 

Tensions in Rivers State escalated on Saturday after a video surfaced showing the newly appointed local government administrator for Obio/Akpor, Dr. Clifford Ndu Walter, personally dismantling a billboard bearing the image of suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

 

The footage, widely circulated on social media, captures Dr. Walter—barely 24 hours into his appointment—physically tearing down the governor’s image at the local government secretariat, sparking outrage among Fubara’s supporters and political observers alike.

 

The dramatic scene is the latest flashpoint in an ongoing political crisis that has gripped Rivers State since March, when President Bola Tinubu suspended Governor Fubara under controversial circumstances.

 

In his place, the president appointed a sole administrator, Ibok-ete Ibas, to oversee the state’s affairs for an initial period of six months.

 

Rather than easing tensions, Ibas’s leadership has ushered in sweeping changes, including the suspension of Fubara’s loyalists and a full-scale reshuffle of local government leadership across all 23 LGAs. The move has further deepened political divisions in the state.

 

Critics have described the recent appointments as a strategic power play favouring former governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, a known political adversary of Fubara.

 

They argue that the growing centralization of authority under Ibas is an attempt to sideline Fubara’s political structure and entrench Wike’s influence.

 

“This is not governance—it’s political demolition,” said a member of the Rivers State Assembly loyal to Fubara, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal. “What we are witnessing is the dismantling of democracy in real-time.”