The Niger Delta Democratic Alliance (NDDA) has passed a vote of no confidence on Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), the sole administrator of Rivers State, accusing him of worsening the state’s political crisis and failing to provide credible leadership.

In a strongly worded statement on Friday by its president, Chief Timi Tamuno Jack, the group said rather than calm tensions or initiate dialogue, the sole administrator has isolated key stakeholders and fuelled political hostilities in the state.

The NDDA said its vote of no confidence stems not only from Ibas’ style of leadership but from his unwillingness to work with elected representatives and political actors in the state.

The group noted with dismay that the sole administrator had ignored the invitation from lawmakers to brief them on the state of affairs.

They further accused Ibas of deliberately excluding local leaders, traditional rulers, and civil society actors from the conversation on rebuilding peace in the state.

“Ibas has become the problem. Instead of helping to provide any solution, he has turned the state into a full conflict zone like the North West and North East regions. If this continues, we fear that Rivers could descend into the kind of bloodshed we are seeing in parts of the north,” the statement reads.

“No serious leader would ignore lawmakers in a time of crisis. We expected Admiral Ibas to appear before the legislature to explain his roadmap for peace and reconciliation. Instead, he chose silence and arrogance. That posture tells us everything we need to know.

“He has not convened one single townhall meeting since his controversial appointment. There has been no attempt to engage Rivers people, not even the local government executives or youth leaders. What exactly is his strategy? You cannot solve a political crisis by issuing military-style directives from behind a desk.”

The NDDA described the situation in Rivers as “a ticking time bomb,” warning that if the federal government continues to allow Ibas run the state without local participation, the consequences could be dire.

“We are sitting on a keg of gunpowder. The people are losing faith and yet the man in charge is doing absolutely nothing to unite them. His presence in that seat has become a threat to the state’s stability,” Jack said.

The group is now demanding Ibas’ immediate removal, calling on President Bola Tinubu to reverse what it described as “a costly miscalculation” that has only inflamed tensions rather than healed them.

“We are calling on Mr. President to do the needful. Ibas must go! He does not have the temperament, the political wisdom or the stakeholder trust needed to lead Rivers State through this delicate moment. The sooner he is replaced, the better for all of us,” Jack declared.

“This is not a military cantonment. This is a democratic state with a history of resilience and resistance. If Admiral Ibas continues on this path, he will face not just a vote of no confidence, but the full weight of public rejection,” he warned.

I have actually responded to this publicly to say that , then opened up a conversation. It’s not going to be Labor Party. Where else? So I put all the parties on the table, and I did my introspection. I prayed about it, I engaged as much as I could. And for me, there are only two options we have in this country today, either be in the mainstream party and see how you can orchestrate the change that you’re looking for, or be part of opposition. I see a very dysfunctional position. I would love to see a more credible, stronger opposition in Nigeria, because opposition politics have it helps for better democracy, strengthening the democracy. So I like to see that happen. But what we are seeing today is not giving hope, giving confidence. And so what is left for people of good conscience, really like me, is to see you care. Since we’re almost left with ABC today, what can we do to make ABC a better place, so that governance can even be better entrenched, and good party internal democracy can be uplifted? And I’m comfortable that I’m in ABC today, and people are already calling me and saying, people are now seeing what you’re saying. There may be different reasons why different people are coming into ABC, but I am here for noble reasons. I’m here because I prioritize Anambra people first. I’m here because I also prioritize God, and I felt that there’s one party that can enable us not just get the victory, protect the mandate, connect Anambra to the center and eventually achieve better dividends of democracy, and ultimately, I have a better country. And today, I may not be able to justify everything that APC does, but I can tell you that it’s better for good people to come into ABC work together. We all work together and improve that party, given that it’s more or less, deliberately we have today.

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