Court Halts Inauguration of Civil Service Commission Pending Judgment

A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has restrained the Sole Administrator of the state, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, from inaugurating the newly confirmed Chairman and members of the Rivers State Civil Service Commission, pending the final judgment in an ongoing legal dispute.

Presiding Judge, Justice Frank Onyiri, issued the order after hearing final written addresses from both parties in a suit filed by the previously appointed Chairman and members of the Commission who were suspended by the Sole Administrator.

The claimants—Reverend Goodlife Iduoku Ben (Chairman), Amadi Christian Echele, Chimenem Wisdom Jerome, and three others—are challenging what they describe as their unlawful suspension. They argue that they were duly appointed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara and confirmed by the Rivers State House of Assembly before their suspension.

In an affidavit, Reverend Ben stated that their appointments remain valid and that the Sole Administrator lacks the constitutional authority to suspend or replace them. He also claimed that official confirmation records are with the Clerk of the House.

Justice Onyiri reaffirmed a previous directive from April 2024 for all parties to maintain the status quo, warning against any further administrative actions until the case is concluded.

The suit lists the Sole Administrator, the Accountant General, Access Bank, Zenith Bank, and eleven others as defendants. The matter has been adjourned to September 29, 2025, for judgment.