An anti-corruption organisation, Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) has petitioned the Central Bank of Nigeria, demanding an immediate suspension of local government allocations to Rivers State over alleged constitutional violations and disregard for a Supreme Court ruling.
In a letter addressed to the CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, and made available to news men on Sunday, HEDA Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, condemned the actions of Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.), who was appointed following the declaration of a state of emergency by President Bola Tinubu on March 18, 2025.
HEDA alleged that on April 9, 2025, Ibas unilaterally dismissed all elected local government chairmen and replaced them with appointed administrators — a move the group described as a flagrant breach of Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees democratic governance at the local level.
However, the petition, also copied to the Accountant General of the Federation, Shamsedeen Ogunjimi, urged the CBN to halt all allocations to the affected councils until elected leadership is restored.
