By ZeeUpdates
As Rivers State inches toward the end of its six-month emergency rule, fresh controversies are rocking the political landscape. Former media aide to ex-Governor Nyesom Wike, Mr. Opunabo Inko-Tariah, has accused the Federal Government of abusing constitutional provisions and manipulating the state’s democratic institutions for political gain.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, Inko-Tariah blasted the August 30 local government elections, insisting that while the Supreme Court ordered a re-run, it never authorised polls to be conducted under what he described as “military rule.”
> “The Supreme Court directed that the council elections be re-conducted by the state governor, not by a military administrator. People are already in court challenging the exercise, and we must wait for the judgment,” he declared.
Inko-Tariah argued that the emergency rule was less about tackling insecurity and more about undermining Governor Siminalayi Fubara. He noted that Vice Admiral Ette Ibas (rtd.), the Sole Administrator, had himself admitted upon assumption of duty that the state was relatively peaceful—raising questions about the true motive behind Abuja’s intervention.
He lamented that governance had deteriorated under Ibas’s administration, with basic services crumbling and ordinary citizens, including youth corps members, bearing the brunt of the political crisis.
According to him, the situation has exposed Rivers people to hardship, even as federal allocations and the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR)—estimated at over ₦20 billion monthly—remain unaccounted for.
Inko-Tariah challenged Vice Admiral Ibas to render a full account of all funds received and expended during the emergency period. He questioned the ballooning fiscal figures, pointing out that while Governor Fubara had presented a ₦1.1 trillion budget, the administrator later re-presented a ₦1.8 trillion budget to the National Assembly without transparency.
Warning of 2027 Political Agenda
The former aide further alleged that President Bola Tinubu and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike are orchestrating a strategy to weaken Governor Fubara ahead of the 2027 elections, warning that the political realignments unfolding in Rivers are less about governance and more about power play.
> “The state has been turned into a political battlefield. Rivers people deserve transparency and democracy, not governance by remote control,” Inko-Tariah concluded.
PIONEER NEWS 