Ibas
By Publisher
Kindly share:
Rivers State is set to elect new crop of local government chairmen in August 39, 2025.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, announced the date during a stakeholders’ meeting held on Monday at the Commission’s headquarters on Aba Road, Port Harcourt.
This is sequel to the nullification of the previous local government elections conducted on October 5, 2024 by the suspended state governor, Similanayi Fubara.
The apex court had in a ruling on a suit filed by the All Progressives Congress, APC, delivered on February 28, 2025, declared the exercise invalid, citing violations of the Electoral Act 2022 with particular regard to the failure to issue the mandatory 90-day notice and the improper handling of the voters register.
The electoral process was initially halted by a ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which barred the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from releasing the voters register and restrained law enforcement from supporting the polls.
However, even though the Court of Appeal vacated the order, citing jurisdictional issues, the Supreme Court later upheld the original decision, resulting in the sacking of all the elected chairmen of the state’s 23 local government areas.
The Monday meeting was convened by RSIEC Chairman, Dr. Michael Ekpali Odey, and brought together leaders of registered political parties, traditional rulers, security agencies, civil society groups, religious organisations, professional bodies, non-governmental organisations, and members of the public.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had declared a state of emergency in Rivers on March 18, 2025, sacking Fubara, his deputy and all elected officials in the state while appointing Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, as the Sole Administrator to oversee the state during the emergency period billed for an initial six months duration.
Ibas, acting the Supreme Court’s ruling, dissolved and restructured the RSIEC and the local government councils. He will oversee the fresh election on
August 30.
