The Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has fixed Thursday, October 2, 2025, for judgment in a suit filed by the sacked chairman and members of the Rivers State Local Government Service Commission. The action challenges their removal by former Sole Administrator, Ibok‑Ete Ibas.
The claimants in the matter are Reverend Goodlife Iduoku Ben, Amadi Christian Echele, Chimenem Wisdom Jerome, and three others. They were appointed and sworn into office by Governor Siminalayi Fubara but contend that their subsequent removal was unlawful. According to them, Ibas acted without due process in seeking to replace them.
They further argued that their appointments had been duly confirmed by the Rivers State House of Assembly, with records of the confirmation lodged with the Clerk of the House before letters of appointment were formally issued by the governor.
In an affidavit deposed to by the suspended chairman, Reverend Iduoku Ben, the claimants maintained that the Sole Administrator lacked the legal authority to suspend them or to appoint a new chairman and members of the commission.
During the pendency of the proceedings, Justice Frank Onyiri had restrained Ibas from inaugurating new appointees and ordered that the status quo be maintained until the court delivered its judgment.
Although judgment was initially scheduled earlier, the matter was only mentioned in court on Monday. Justice Onyiri consequently granted additional time and adjourned the case to Thursday, October 2, 2025, for final determination.
The defendants in the suit include the former Sole Administrator, representing the state government, alongside the Accountant General of Rivers State, Access Bank, Zenith Bank, and eleven other parties. The court’s decision is expected to clarify the legal framework governing appointments and removals within the Rivers State Local Government Service Commission.
