Rivers State hold local govment election despite attempts to stop am

Afta months of expectation, local goment elections go hold across di 23 local goment areas of Rivers State, southern Nigeria on Saturday 30 August.

Di LG elections dey come six months afta di Supreme Court of Nigeria nullify di Local goment elections wey suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminialayi Fubara bin conduct for October 2024.

Di elections go hold for 6,866 polling units despite many attempts to stop am. Di latest attempt come from one Rivers State High Court wey rule say legal impediment no dey to stop di local goment elections from going ahead for Rivers State.

Different attempts to stop di election

On Thursday, 28 August 2025, Justice Stephen Jumbo dismiss one motion wey Port Harcourt-based lawyer, Williams Abayomi-Stanley, file wey seek to halt di August 30 polls.

Di suit bin list President Bola Tinubu, di Attorney-General of di Federation, Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), and di Chairman as defendants.

Justice Jumbo hold say di application lack merit but grant order for substituted service on di defendants.

E come direct say di elections go proceed as scheduled and adjourn di to 10 September, 2025 to hear di mata.

Lawyer to di claimant, Godsent Elewa explain say im client dey court to seek for interpretation of a section of RSIEC law and Constitution of Nigeria as amended weda di President get di legal powers to appoint a Chairman and members of RSIEC to conduct local goment council elections for di state.

Elewa say though e welcome di ruling of di court wey also grant one of im motion, e dey ready to kontinu with di proceeding on di next adjourned date.

Many odas don question di legality of di elections especially with di reason wey di Independent National Electoral Commission INEC give from not conducting by-elections for di State.

INEC for statement for dia Facebook page on 26 June 2025 as dem announce date for di conduct of by-elections across di kontri say sake of di state of emergency for Rivers State, dem no go conduct by-election for Khana II constituency seat for di Rivers State House of Assemby wey di member wey bin dey represent am, Dinebari Loolo, die.

Sake of dis, some civil society groups bin question di grounds wey RSIEC wan take conduct LG elections wey still dey under state of emergency wen INEC no conduct di by-elections dia on 16 August as e do for oda places.

Also, di All Progressives Congress (APC) for Rivers State, wey Emeka Beke dey lead, also ask court to stop di LG exercise.

For one suit wey Awoala Joybel Emine file on behalf of di party executives, di APC insist say di candidates wey RSIEC publish for di LG elections allegedly be impostors.

Di party come ask di court to compel RSIEC to recognize only di candidates nominated by di Emeka Beke-led exco as di authentic APC flagbearers and to nullify any election wey bin dey conducted without dia inclusion.

Again, anoda candidate of di APC for di 2015 House of Assembly election, Chima Nnokam, and four odas also file suit to stop di LG council election.

For dia originating summons for di Rivers State High Court against di Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, di Attorney General of Rivers State, and two financial institutions, ask di court to declare say di RSIEC chairman and members no dey lawfully appointed. Na Sole Administrator of di state, Ibok-Ete Ibas appoint dem.

Dem also ask di court to declare di local goment elections as unlawful due to non-compliance wit di Electoral Act. Dem also ask di court to restrain two financial institutions from disbursing funds wey belong to RSIEC and for di court to reinstate di Justice Adolphus Enebeli-led commission since dia five-year tenure neve expire bifor dem dey dissolved by di Rivers State Sole Administrator.

Meanwhile, 17 of di 19 political parties for Nigeria dey participate for the LG election. Di two political parties wey no dey take part na Boot Party and African Democratic Congress ADC.

Earlier, di Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, bin issue directive to all registered political parties to boycott di August 30 council polls for Rivers state, as dem call di election process illegal and unconstitutional.

IPAC bin warn RSIEC against holding elections under emergency rule, as dem call am "a mockery of democracy."

For one letter on 1 August 2025, signed by di National Chairman Dr. Yusuf Dantalle and Secretary Maxwell Mgbudem, IPAC say RSIEC dey illegally formed, as only an elected governor and di House of Assembly, both wey currently dey suspended, fit appoint di members.

IPAC note say di Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, bin dey appointed to restore order, not to conduct elections.

But IPAC Secretary for Rivers State, Benjamin Ogbogbula, bin say political party chairmen for state di State bin consult with dia national leadership regarding di directive to boycott di August 30 LG elections.

Opposition APC go finally grab control of Rivers State?

For years, di People's Democratic Party don dey in charge of di political landscape for Rivers State.

Despite say no be dem dey in power now for Nigeria centre, di PDP don always reign supreme for di Treasure Base of di Nation until last year wia di Action Peoples Party (APP) clear 22 out of 23 local govment chairmanship seats.

Na dat election Nigeria Supreme Court later nullify.

For Saturday polls, RSIEC don display names of candidates wey dey contest di LG Polls.

From di list, di PDP only get three chairmanship candidates - Dr. Gift Worlu for Obio/Akpor, Allwell Ihunda for Port Harcourt City, and Chukwu Ogbogu for Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Goment Areas.

Di All Progressives Congress APC get 20 candidates wey dey contest for 20 LGAs. Many of dis candidates don serve as former chairmen of dis LGAs under di PDP bifor now and most of dem dey contest for dia second tenure.

Afta today polls e go become clearer if di State wey dey under state of emergency rule go align wit di centre despite say di suspended govnor, Fubara bin dey elected under di umbrella of di PDP.

Di local government election and Govnor Fubara return

Di LG elections dey hold barely three weeks to di end of di six months suspension wey President Bola Ahmed Tinubu take suspend di Rivers State Governor, Deputy Governor and House of Assembly members.

Dis don make many pipo wonder why e no happen wen di Govenor return or na part of di reconciliation agreement? Di coming days go show.

CP announce restriction of movement for Rivers State

Meanwhile Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, also announce restriction of movement on Saturday, August 30th, from 12am to 6pm.

CP Adepoju explain say those on election or essential duties go get passes, while security and monitoring officials go dey identified with tags.

Di CP also assure say adequate security personnel dey deployed to ensure di safety of lives and property during and after di election as di Command don carry out sensitisation programmes to encourage peaceful conduct for a hitch-free election.

Di Police Commissioner warn say only the police, military, and oda recognised security agencies dey permitted to provide election security, and add say vigilante groups no dey allowed.

Di police bin no take part for di oda LG elections for October 2024.

In di meantime, di Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi, don constitute and swear in di chairman and members of di local goment election Tribunal, amidst many criticism

On di criticism by a non-governmental organisation, Pilex Centre for Civic Education Initiative, wey say setting up di tribunal mean endorsing illegality.

Di Chief Judge maintain say a section of di Rivers State Local Goment Election Tribunals Law of 2000, as amended, empower am to set up di election tribunal, especially wen no court judgement dey against di election.