Nigeria’s oil-rich Rivers state in the Niger Delta has been a hot topic since President Bola Tinubu suspended its governor, Siminalayi Fubara, for six months. Posts shared on social media recently claimed that a court in the state ordered Fubara’s reinstatement and the dismissal of the interim administrator. But the claim is false; both the chief registrar of the court and the office of the interim administrator denied the existence of the ruling. The state administrator is still performing his official duties.
"Breaking Court Sacks Ibas as Rivers' Sole Administrator, Orders Tinubu to Reinstate Fubara," reads the headline of a Facebook post published on April 17, 2025.
"The court’s decision, delivered on Tuesday morning, gives the Tinubu-backed appointee 48 hours to vacate the premises, reaffirming Governor Fubara’s constitutional mandate as the duly elected leader of Rivers State," adds the post.
The post attributes the order to "Justice Boma Diepriye", who purportedly delivered the ruling at the "federal high court" in the state capital, Port Harcourt.
It further claims that the judge said Tinubu’s decision to suspend a sitting governor and appoint an interim sole administrator for the state was "illegal and void".
The claim has appeared in other posts on Instagram and Facebook.
Power struggle
Fubara was elected governor of Rivers state in March 2023, succeeding lawyer Nyesom Wike, who is currently serving as minister in charge of Nigeria’s capital, Abuja (archived here and here).
Shortly after Fubara’s inauguration, he became embroiled in a battle with his predecessor over control of the state (archived here).
The tussle culminated in a failed impeachment attempt and a dispute with state legislators, which resulted in the demolition of the state assembly complex (archived here and here).
In March 2025, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers state and suspended Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu and the State Assembly for six months. He subsequently appointed Ibokette Ibas, a retired vice-admiral, as the state administrator for the period of Fubara’s suspension (archived here).
The decision sharply divided opinion in the country, with critics highlighting the president’s disavowal of a similar emergency declaration by the federal government in the past.
Tinubu said the country's constitution empowered him to suspend the officials, while opposition leader Peter Obi described the move as "reckless" and an "unconstitutional overreach" (archived here).
A lack of legal clarity, however, has given Tinubu room to manoeuvre.
However, the claim that a Rivers state court has ordered Fubara’s reinstatement is false.
Jurisdiction and vacation
Hector Igbikiowubo, the spokesperson for Ibas, told AFP Fact Check in a phone interview that the claim is false.
"The National Assembly has created a committee to oversee the sole administration and so the state courts have no jurisdiction over the emergency rule. Only the Supreme Court and the National Assembly can make pronouncements about it," he said.
In a press release published by local media on April 18, 2025, David Ihua-Maduenyi, the chief registrar of the Rivers State High Court, said the claim surfaced when judges were on a week-long Easter break (archived here and here).
"Hon. Justice Boma Diepiri is on Easter vacation, which began on April 14, 2025.
