Ibas Urges Rivers Residents to Put State First, Warns Against Bloodshed Over Politics

|By Chinwendu Nwani

Outgoing Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Ibok-Ete Ibas, has urged residents to place the unity and progress of the state above personal or partisan interests, warning that no political ambition should claim the life of any citizen.

Ibas made the call on Sunday during an interdenominational thanksgiving service at the Ecumenical Centre in Port Harcourt, held to mark the state’s transition back to democratic governance following local council elections.

He recalled that President Bola Tinubu appointed him in March to preside over the state for six months during the emergency rule period. According to him, Rivers was plagued by divisions, instability, and broken trust before the intervention.

“Political actors must sheath their swords, because no political victory or personal gain is worth the blood of any Rivers citizen,” he declared.

He further stressed that the future of Rivers State depends on collective sacrifice, adding: “Politics must never be an excuse to destroy the very state we are called to serve.”