Rivers Administrator Ibas Cancels All Pending Procurement, Tender Processes

Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), the sole administrator of Rivers State, has annulled all pending procurement and tender processes initiated under the administration of the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara. This move follows the state of emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu on March 18, 2025, which led to the suspension of Governor Fubara, his deputy Professor Ngozi Odu, and the State House of Assembly.

In a statement issued on Thursday in Port Harcourt, Ibas stated that this cancellation is in line with the February 28, 2025 Supreme Court ruling. The statement, signed by the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Professor Ibiba Worika, also instructed all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) involved in these procurement processes to refund the tender fees to the respective bidders without delay.

The statement read, in part: “In adherence to the Supreme Court judgement upholding the Appeal Court ruling in Suit No. CA/ABJ/CV/133/2024 and in the absence of an Appropriation Law, the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral (RTD.) Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, CFR, wishes to notify the general public that all procurement and tender processes carried out by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) during this period are hereby cancelled.”

It further directed that all MDAs that conducted these procurement processes must refund the tender fees to contractors immediately. This will remain in effect until the approval of a new spending plan by the state government, which will be communicated to the public in due course.

The decision underscores the ongoing shift in governance in Rivers State under Ibas’s administration following the suspension of the former state leadership.