The outgoing Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Ibok-Ete Ibas, has urged residents and political actors to put the state’s interest above personal ambitions, stressing that no political victory is worth the blood of any Rivers citizen.
Ibas made the appeal on Sunday during an interdenominational thanksgiving service held at the Ecumenical Centre in Port Harcourt, to mark the state’s transition back to democratic governance following the just-concluded local council elections.
President Bola Tinubu had appointed Ibas in March to oversee Rivers State for six months under emergency rule, following months of political tension and instability. Reflecting on his tenure, Ibas noted that the state had been plagued by divisions 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 said. “The progress and prosperity of Rivers State must be placed above personal or partisan interest. Politics must never be an excuse to destroy the very state we are called to serve.”
