- Safiu Kehinde
Rivers State Chief Magistrate, Ejike George, has resigned from his role over discomfort with the administration of the state’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas.
NPO Reported that President Bola Tinubu had last month declared a state of emergency in Rivers.
Coupled with the declaration was the six months suspension of the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all members of the Rivers House of Assembly.
The President would appoint Ibas to oversee that affairs of the South-South state through the course of the six months.
Ejike, in his resignation letter dated April 11, 2025, expressed his discomfort with the emergency rule in the state which he described as a ‘quasi-military administration’.
According to the letter addressed to the Honourable Chief Judge of Rivers State through the Secretary of the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission, Ejike labelled the Ibas-led administration as ‘alien’ and a contrast to the judiciary principle.
“This difficult and regrettable decision is informed largely by my discomfort with the recent appointment of a quasi-military administration to run the affairs of a modern State like ours,” He wrote.
Ejike held that he had in the course of his 22 years in legal practice, dedicated 16 of those to the Rivers State Judiciary under several democratic governments.
He maintained that remaining in office would be equivalent to “tacit and naïve acquiescence.”