Amid protestations, the desperate move by the Emilokan ideologists to foist illegal Local Government Area (LGA) election on Rivers State in order to consummate the ill-fated Southern solidarity for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 second term bid, is an indication that Governor Siminalayi Fubara may not contest the next guber poll whenever it pleases Tinubu to reinstate him
By Jude Nzennaya, Port Harcourt
Edu Abade, Lagos
At the last count, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) is adamant in its move to hold what many political analysts have referred to as an illegal Local Government election in Rivers State come Saturday, August 30, 2025. This is amid calls by many legal experts to the effect that should the election hold, its outcome cannot stand legal challenges that will follow.
To confirm the election, RSIEC had also declared that the August 30 local government council election remains sacrosanct.
According to the RSIEC Commissioner in charge of Administration and Legal Services, Professor Chidi Halliday, who confirmed the election date during a Town Hall Meeting on the topic, “Strengthening Local Governance Through Dialogue and Participation,” with the broad subject, “The Rivers We Want,” organised by Rivers Peace Initiative (RPI) in partnership with the Centre for Peace and Security Studies, University of Port Harcourt and Super 93.3 FM, Port Harcourt, there will be no going back on the contentious election.
Professor Halliday dismissed insinuations that results for the forthcoming local council election had already been written, awaiting declaration.
He blamed misinformation and ignorance for such insinuations, assuring that the commission is open to all political parties and would conduct free, fair, and credible polls on August 30.
Professor Halliday stated that RSIEC was not aware of any faction in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, stressing that “everything we are doing is being guided by the rules and laws.”
She told the audience that the state was already peaceful, while at the same time assuring that the council elections would be seamless. Her assertion contradicts the lingered suspension of the democratic institutions in the state by President Bola Tinubu.
On Thursday, August 14, 2025, Chairman of the RSIEC, Dr. Michael Odey hinted that the Commission had already obtained the authentic voters’ register from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the contentious election.
The RSIEC Chairman, Dr. Odey, made the disclosure in Port Harcourt during an interactive session with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and the media.
He added that preparations for the poll were on course, noting that the Commission had
secured all necessary documents from INEC to conduct a credible exercise.
Odey explained that RSIEC had written to INEC for the register to enable it council conduct the
elections and that INEC complied as requested. He stressed that the register was genuine and ready for display.
“We have a signed letter from INEC issuing us the voters’ register. It is authentic, and we will
display it any moment from now. We have also written to the INEC Chairman and he has promised to support us in every way,” he said.
Political analysts have opined that ahead of the 2027 general elections, Rivers State and its vast resources must be captured and secured for the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike with the active support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is ready to do the latter’s biddings to ensure total control of the state through the August 30, 2025 local council elections. However, many political pundits believe that the situation in the state poses a huge threat to democracy.
With less than one month to the anticipated recall of the deposed Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara to office, the Federal Government and the Minister of the FCT Wike have determined to recapture the state’s party structure with the local government elections.
Although it is not yet certain whether President Tinubu will reinstate Fubara next month, the move, most political analysts believe, is to properly align the state’s political structures with the grassroots level just before Fubara will be recalled in the event the illegally deposed governor accepts of defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as being speculated on or before September 18, 2025 and to checkmate him against any future discontent and disobedience.
That is the way of politics and politicians-no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. Another worrisome development is the way and manner in which President Tinubu accedes to Wike’s whims and caprices as far as the Rivers State issues are concerned. It is all about 2027 and the quest to capture Rivers for the incumbent president, Tentacle has learnt.
To that effect, the RSIEC has fixed Saturday, August 30, 2025, for the local government election.
This shows a shift in the date initially set by the Commission, then headed by Justice Adolphus Enebeli (rtd.), who had earlier fixed August 9, 2025, before Governor Siminalayi Fubara was suspended following the declaration of an emergency rule in the state.
To solidify his base ahead of the poll, Wike’s men including Gift Worlu have been positioned for Obio/Akpor, Allwell Ihunda for Port Harcourt City and Chukwu Ogbugu for Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Councils under the People Democratic Party (PDP).
Also, APC candidates, most of who are loyalists of Wike and who previously served as chairmen during his tenure as governor, including Confidence Deko for Gokana, Chidi Lloyd for Emohua, Obari Ollormate for Eleme, Akuro Tobins for Okrika and Thomas Bari-Ara, among others.
However, the Labour Party and 14 other parties did not field candidates for all chairmanship and councillorship positions in the 23 councils of the state, but Odey has urged political parties and candidates to check the commission’s headquarters for their names.
To further tighten the noose on Fubara’s neck, the Coalition for Justice and Democracy (CJD) had accused Fubara of orchestrating a campaign of calumny against President Tinubu.
In a statement signed by its president, Comrade Raymond Aighona, the coalition alleged that Fubara was also behind the circulation of a document on social media which accused Ibok Ete Ibas, the state’s Sole Administrator of mismanaging the sum of N500 billion and inflating contracts sums under the guise of funding President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
“Every action of the Sole Administrator is monitored by oversight committees from both the Senate and the House of Representatives. His expenditures are scrutinised and subjected to due process. For anyone to claim that he single-handedly pulled out half a trillion naira from the coffers of Rivers State is not only laughable but deliberately mischievous,” the group added.
It insisted that the sole administrator had acted strictly within the limits of the emergency powers granted him and under the constant oversight of committees set up by both chambers of the National Assembly to monitor Rivers during the emergency rule.
Wike didn’t mince words when he said during an interview in Abuja recently that he would ensure Tinubu won Rivers State in his 2027 re-election bid, declaring that he would lead the campaign for the President’s reelection in the state come 2027. Wike’s avowal, many pundits have reacted, may meet a stiff opposition in the hands of another governor of the state, in the person of Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi who had since left the APC for the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Both high profile political figures in Rivers State are set to slug it out in 2027 as Amaechi has vowed to resist any form of rigging in the next general election in the state. Amaechi had alleged that the 2023 presidential election in Rivers State was rigged by Wike in favour of President Tinubu.
In 2023 as governor, Wike resisted the presidential candidate of his own party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and supported Tinubu, which is why many believe that the President is determined to accede to Wike’s demands.
With the stage now set for the council elections and the two major political parties, APC and PDP, neatly tucked in his kitty, the FCT Minister seems to have cleared the smoky coast for Tinubu’s victory.
The South-South National Vice Chairman of APC, Chief Victor Giadom and factional APC Chairman in Rivers State, Tony Okocha, had at a campaign rally, boasted that the party would win all the 23 councils in the forthcoming council polls.
“We are not just going to test the waters on August 30, 2023, but we will contest and win the elections in the 23 local government areas and the 319 wards in Rivers State,” Okocha said.
Chairman of RSIEC, Odey, who announced the new date for the council polls during the unveiling of the revised timetable for the election in Port Harcourt, the state capital, explained that the decision to postpone the election was informed by the prevailing circumstances in the state, including constitutional provisions that empower the commission to reschedule elections in situations of crisis or potential unrest.
“You will recall that a general stakeholders meeting was convened by the Sixth commission on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, during which August 9, 2025 was proclaimed as the date for local government election in Rivers State prior to the advent of the emergency rule.
“Here now, the Seventh commission of RSIEC has taken proper cognizance of Section 13, Sub section 5 of the RSIEC Law, which provides thus; that when the Commission appoints a date for holding an election and there is a reason to believe that a serious breach of peace is likely to occur if the election holds on that date, or it is impossible to conduct the election as a result of natural disaster or any other emergency, the Commission may postpone the election provided that the reason for the postponement is cogent and verifiable”.
“Therefore, by the powers vested on the Commission by this provision, I hereby announce the postponement of the local government council elections earlier fixed to hold on Saturday, August 9, 2025, for obvious and incontrovertible reasons,” Odey said.
On the constitutionality of the power or legality of the Sole Administrator, Ibas to conduct local government election under an emergency rule where democracy is under suspension, the issue has generated arguments as those who feel that Ibas’ regime should stabilise the state and leave the stage for the elected governor and other democratic institutions to conduct council elections, other analysts have said they would challenge the August 30, 2025 scheduled election in court. A public commentator in the state, James Goodnews, has alleged that once the purported election has taken place, its reversal even in the courts may be a herculean task. Goodnews claimed that President Tinubu and Minister Wike have already purchased the judges and justices of the courts who are ready to do their biddings.
“This democracy under Tinubu is in shambles. The National Assembly and the justices of the High Court, Appeal Court and the Supreme Court are under the control of the President. Any thing that will affect Tinubu government negatively, if they are taken to the courts, must be decided in favour of Tinubu because the courts have lost impartiality.
“That is why this shenanigans are happening in Rivers State, and unfortunately nobody is challenging it. Can you imagine that since the PDP governors took the case of Fubara’s suspension to the Supreme Court, the Court has failed to adjudicate on it? That is the kind of the judiciary system we have in Nigeria under Tinubu government. It is the worst law breaking administration the country has witnessed since 1999, and I can assure you that Tinubu can never get out with it unhurt.”
The Odey-led RSIEC had on July 28, 2025, released a time-table indicating that the council election would be held on August 30, 2025 in all the 23 LGAs of the state.
Tentacle recalled that the major reasons given by President Tinubu in his March 18, 2025 declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State were the “disturbing incidents of vandalism of pipelines by some militants without the governor taking any action to curtail them.
“Besides, the Rivers State House of Assembly and the governor have not been able to work together. Both of them do not realise that they are in office to work together for the peace and good governance of the state. I have, of course, ordered security agencies to ensure the safety of lives of the good people of Rivers State and the oil pipelines.
“With all these and many more, no good and responsible President will standby and allow the grave situation to continue without taking remedial steps prescribed by the Constitution to address the situation in the state, which no doubt requires extraordinary measures to restore good governance, peace, order and security,” Tinubu explained.
In their reactions, the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) and the Rivers Civil Society Organisation (RIVCSO) insisted that the planned election is unconditional considering the fact that the state is currently under emergency rule.
They pointed out that provisions of the Nigerian constitution stipulated that it is only an electoral body set up by an elected government that can conduct local government elections.
In a statement signed by its spokesman in the state, Emmanuel Obe, the CLO said the new RSIEC was unconstitutionally constituted and therefore lacks the legitimacy to conduct or reschedule elections.
“In addition to the illegality of the commission’s composition, the revised timetable fails to comply with statutory provisions requiring a minimum of 90 days’ notice before elections day as provided for in Sections 9(6), 19 and 94 of the Electoral Act. The notice given-only 32 days-is grossly inadequate and violates the law,” the group said.
On his part, Chairman of RIVSCO, Enefaa Georgewill, who addressed journalists in Port Harcourt, urged voters in the state to boycott the planned local government election, saying, “Our laws are clear; the Constitution is clear. The person saddled with the power to conduct elections at the local government level is the electoral commission set up by the elected governor of the state.”
In the same vein, the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has directed all political parties in Nigeria to boycott the election. Describing the exercise as “illegal, unconstitutional, and a mockery of Nigeria’s democracy.”
In a statement by its National Chairman, Dr. Yusuf Dantalle, IPAC accused the Sole Administrator of Rivers State of exceeding his constitutional powers by organising the election.
The council stressed that, under the 1999 Constitution (as amended), only an elected governor, working with the state House of Assembly, has the authority to conduct such polls.
The statement read, “The Sole Administrator has no constitutional mandate to conduct a democratic election as if the nation is under a military regime. This is an exercise in futility and an assault on our nation’s democracy. It is unacceptable and should be rejected by all lovers of constitutional governance in Nigeria”.
IPAC also accused the Sole Administrator of assembling ‘political hirelings’ who claimed to be chairmen of political parties in the state to endorse the election.
The council dismissed these endorsements as fake and a desperate attempt to give legitimacy to what it called a ‘charade and sham.’
“Fake state chairmen cannot give legitimacy to gross illegality, unconstitutionality, and abuse of office.”
This medium’s investigation revealed that majority of the electorate and political parties in the state are crying foul and threatening to boycott the upcoming local government election.
These have labelled the electoral process a “charade” and described the process as “null and void” due to the absence of a legal constituted RSIEC. A lawyer and human rights advocate in the state, Mr. Higher King stated that it was illegal for a sole administrator to conduct local government elections in the state.
He explained that Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission law of 2018 mandates that the RSIEC officials be appointed by an elected governor and confirmed by the State House of Assembly. With both the governor and assembly suspended, the current RSIEC leadership appointed under emergency conditions, lacks this constitutional backing.
King further added, “How can an electoral body, itself questionably constituted, deliver a free and fair election? This is not merely a legal technicality; it’s a matter of trust. For the people of Rivers State, who have endured years of political turbulence, trust in institution like RSIEC is already thin.
He described the forth coming local government election as a “waste of resources”. He urged the sole administrator to redirect funds earmarked for the election towards paying withheld salaries of civil servants and providing better welfare package for the people of Rivers State.
The CLO spokesman in the state, Mr. Emmanuel Obe told Tentacle that the new RSIEC was unconstitutionally constituted and therefore lacked the legitimacy to conduct or reschedule elections.
The Emeka Beke – led faction of the APC in the state had also faulted plans by the state electoral body to proceed with the election warning that the exercise risked disenfranchising voters and breaching a Supreme Court ruling.
The spokesperson of the faction, Darlington Nwauju said the RSIEC should delay the poll until the INEC completed its continuous voter registration in the state in line with the apex court’s February 2025 judgment on the use of updated registers for elections.
According to him, for the sake of grassroots democracy, RSIEC must prioritize legitimacy over expediency, adding that the people of Rivers deserved election that empowers them, not one that deepens their disillusionment. “As we approach August 30, the choice is clear; uphold electoral integrity or risk further fracturing a state already on edge” he said.
In the same vein, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide Secretary General, Maobuye Nangi Obu has called for the suspension of the poll emphasizing the need for a credible process. His demand resonated with many residents of Rivers State who yearn for elections that reflect their will, not the machinations of a few.
According to him, the rush to conduct the polls few weeks to the exit of Ibas has further raised suspicion about the sincerity behind it. He advised that RSIEC must pause and address these concerns engaging stakeholders transparently, resolving pending court cases and ensuring constitutional compliance are non-negotiable steps towards restoring trust.
President Tinubu and Ibas have already been dragged before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja over the plan to conduct election in the state.
Also listed as defendants in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1144/2025 and dated August 11, 2025 are the Rivers State Government and the RSIEC. The plaintiffs, Fredrick Ededeh, Benita Samuel, Jane Madubuike, Boma Aggo and Comfort Agbom, all indigenes of the state, in the suit, asked the court, through their lawyer, Sunday Ezema, to determine whether the scheduled local government election can lawfully be conducted under a state of emergency.
The plaintiffs contend that the emergency conditions have not abated or ceased, which is why the president has neither revoked nor suspended the state of emergency and asking the court to stop the election until the proclamation is lifted.
