A looming clash may be brewing between the immediate past Rivers State Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), and the State House of Assembly following the lawmakers’ decision to probe government expenditure during his tenure. Ibas vacated office on September 17 after the expiration of the six-month emergency rule, during which he administered the oil-rich state. His exit followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive reinstating Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the Assembly members to office. At its first plenary after resumption, the Assembly, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, resolved to investigate the management of funds during the emergency rule. The lawmakers said the probe was necessary “to explore the process of knowing what transpired with regard to spending from the consolidated revenue fund, contract awards, and other expenditures.” Data reviewed by WAFFI TV showed that Rivers State received at least N254.37bn from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) between March and August 2025 while under Ibas’s administration. The figure, based on National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data and FAAC meeting documents, revealed monthly inflows of N44.66bn in March, N44.42bn in April, N42.80bn in May, N42.30bn in June, N38.42bn in July, and N41.76bn in August. On average, the state received N42.40bn monthly, and if September’s inflows follow a similar pattern, Rivers’ allocation in seven months could near N297bn. Notably, the 13 per cent oil derivation accounted for N133.24bn—about 52.4 per cent—of the total allocation, underscoring the state’s dependence on oil revenue. Reacting to the probe move, Ibas argued that the lawmakers lacked the authority to investigate him, stressing that they neither appointed him nor supervised his mandate. Through his Senior Special Adviser on Media, Hector Igbikiowubu, he maintained that any attempt to probe him was effectively an attempt to probe President Tinubu, who appointed him, as well as the National Assembly, which oversaw his activities during the emergency rule. According to Igbikiowubu, while nobody can prevent the Assembly from probing what they perceive to be their functions within the state, the attempt to probe the immediate past administrator of the state would be a “fool’s errand.” “When you say they were going to probe the tenure of the administrator, was it the Assembly that appointed the administrator? “You see, the point to note is that commentary is free. You can’t stop people from running commentary. The House of Assembly has been on break for a very long time, and you will appreciate that they have not been able to discharge their functions for such a long time,” Igbikiowubu told The PUNCH. “Now that they have resumed, they have to make an effort to carry out their functions. So, it will seem their right to probe what has gone wrong in the state. Nobody can stop the lawmakers from carrying out a probe of what they perceive to be their functions within the state. “But like I asked earlier, were they the ones that appointed the administrator? So, if you didn’t appoint the administrator, it goes to reason that you have certain limitations. When you also realise that the administrator was appointed by the President, it goes without reason that the administrator acted for and on behalf of the President.” He added, “When you also reason that the administrator was supervised by the National Assembly, it goes without reason that when you decide to probe the administrator, you’re invariably saying that you will be probing the administrator and the National Assembly. “So, I wish them good luck with their plan and their probe. But you and I know that such an enterprise amounts to a fool’s errand.”