*Denies Summoning Fubara
*Rivers Women Continue Protest
THE Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd) is well disposed to honouring the invitation from the Ad-Hoc Committee of the House of Representatives on Rivers State, which was inaugurated on Wednesday, April 16.
The Committee had invited the Sole Administrator to appear before it for a “comprehensive interactive session” on Thursday, April 17, at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.
According to Ibas’ Senior Special Assistant on Media, Hector Igbikiowubo, his boss would honour the invitation, as “it is within the right of the National Assembly, and the committee is doing its job.
“So, we are very well disposed to honouring the invitation. We don’t have a problem with it.”
A statement by House spokesman, Akin Rotimi, on Wednesday said the session would provide a platform for Committee members to deliberate on preliminary reports and developments emerging from the state since Ibas assumed office.
Chairman of the Committee and House Leader, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, added: “This engagement is necessary to ascertain the true state of affairs in Rivers State and ensure that the House remains properly guided in the discharge of its oversight responsibilities in the public interest.”
The committee said it had sent a formal letter of invitation to Ibas, who had already acknowledged receipt.
Meanwhile, the sole administrator has dismissed reports that he summoned the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and his Deputy, Mrs. Ngozi Odu, for questioning, describing the widely circulated summon as “false and misleading.”
In an official statement issued on Wednesday, April 16, by the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dede Friday, Ibas described the reports as “fraudulent announcements” deliberately aimed ato inciting unrest.
According to the statement: “The Rivers State Government has become aware of fraudulent announcements circulating on social media, falsely attributed to the Office of the Secretary to the State Government.
“These malicious fabrications are designed to mislead the public, create panic and disrupt the peace in Rivers State.
“One such false report claimed that Governor Fubara and his deputy had been summoned to the Government House to explain certain appointments and other state matters.
“The Rivers State Government categorically states that this announcement is fake and did not originate from any official source.
“The public is urged to disregard this and any similar misinformation, as they are the work of troublemakers seeking to destabilise the state.”
To forestall further misinformation, the government urged the public to rely solely on verified channels for information, including the official website (www.riversstate.gov.ng), authorised social media pages, such as the Rivers State Government Facebook page, press releases from the Governor’s Office and the SSG, and approved traditional media outlets.
It also encouraged the people to always verify all information before sharing and to remain calm during this sensitive political period in the state.
In a related development, there were more protests in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, as women, under the aegis of Rivers Women Unite Prayer Group, march through the streets to demand an end to emergency rule and reinstaement of all suspended democratic structure in the state.
The protesters from all the 23 local government areas of the state, in a statement signed by Dr. Nancy Chidi Nwankwo and Dr. Vivian Ige-Elenwo, and read to journalists, said: “Once again, and for the umpteenth time, we, the women of Rivers State, under the umbrella of the Rivers Women Unite Prayer Group, strongly reiterate our unwavering demand for the immediate termination of the unconstitutional and unjust emergency rule currently imposed on our dear state.
“We firmly reject every attempt to stifle the voices of our people or frustrate legitimate dissent. We condemn in strong terms the dictatorial tendencies of Ibas and the Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju…
“This selective protection of sycophants while repressing genuine voices of concern is a grave injustice.”
The decried the economic impact of the emergency rule, saying businesses were shutting down, planned investments being relocated and the state’s economy in decline.
