Voters are being cast in the council election that is taking place in the 23 local government areas of Rivers State, which will have 6,866 polling locations.
Six months and two days after the Supreme Court’s ruling overturned the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission’s (RSIEC) local government election held on October 5, 2024).
The 319 wards of the state, which are home to significant oil assets and are widely regarded as the economic hub of the South-South region, are where the elections are taking place.
The outcome of the elections could influence the 2027 governorship election, which will also be of interest to the major political parties.
The RSIEC appealed to Rivers residents on Friday to come out in their numbers and peacefully exercise their civic duty to vote in the elections in light of concerns about the exercise.
The RSIEC Chairman, Michael Odey, advised eligible voters to conduct themselves in accordance with electoral rules during a pre-election broadcast prior to the election.
He claimed that adequate security had been put in place to safeguard lives and property with the assistance of the police.
The RSIEC chairman also provided assurance to the electorate that all polling locations, including the rural and riverine communities, will have voting materials delivered right away.
Odey had stated in a previous joint media exchange with the police that the movement restriction would begin on Saturday at 12 am to 6 pm.
Show of force
Security personnel also demonstrated force on Friday to reassure residents of their safety in the state.
The Rivers State Police Command’s Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, was the location of the exercise.
A convoy of patrol vehicles was present from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Federal Army, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), and other allied organizations.
Before, during, and after the polls, the joint team demonstrated operational readiness to maintain peace and order in the major streets in the Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
Read more about APC Group suing Tony Okocha, Rivers Electoral Commission, in LG Poll.
Olugbenga Adepoju, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, earlier in the week, assured residents that the elections would have adequate security measures.
Adepoju claimed that the use of personnel and logistics would result in a fair and credible exercise.
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Emergency Regulation
Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retired), who was sworn in by President Bola Tinubu on March 19, 2025, is currently in charge of Rivers’ emergency.
Following a power play between Sim Fubara and Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Sim Fubara was suspended as governor.
Ngozi Odu, Fubara’s deputy, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly were also suspended.
However, after President Tinubu intervened, Fubara and Wike eventually settled their differences.
Rotimi Amaechi, a former minister of transport and member of the opposition coalition, hails from Ikwerre, while Wike hails from the Obior-Akpor LGA.
Observers Poll Against Poll
However, some observers have criticized the government’s choice to run elections through a state electoral commission led by a nominee for the office of the sole administrator.
Chetam Nwala, a lawyer, urged Tinubu to restore democracy in the oil-rich Niger Delta state after claiming that the elections were in the people’s best interests.
He stated on Channels TV’s and Sunrise Daily’s programming on Friday that the election in Rivers State is not in the people’s best interests, and that is why people might not vote in favor.
The election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates was criticized by TAF Africa’s CEO, Jake Epelle, who described it as a deliberate attempt to deceive the state’s citizens.
The PDP and APC candidates’ combinations are like a concoction intended to benefit Rivers State’s innocent citizens.
Don’t trust the PDP people because they mix up to cover their tracks. They are attempting to make it look good in every way. A bad apple won’t look good on its own. During an interview on Channels Television’s , Sunrise Daily on August 7, Epelle claimed that it was unlikely to occur.
The Supreme Court invalidated the election in the Supreme Court’s ruling that invalidated the Electoral Act’s gross violation.
Justice Jamilu Tukur, who was reading the decision, stated that the RSIEC’s decision was void because it continued to register voters even after the election date was announced.
The court determined that Section 150 of the Electoral Act was clearly violated when processes that led to the organization of a local government election were cut short.
Source: Channels TV
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