Again Political tensions rise in Rivers State ahead of Local Govt elections

Again Political tensions rise in Rivers State ahead of Local Govt elections

With the 2027 general elections on the horizon, political maneuvering is intensifying in Rivers State, as a grand plot to secure victory for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is already in motion.

This follows the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission’s (RSIEC) announcement of a new date for the local government elections.

The polls, initially scheduled for October 5, 2024, under the administration of then-Governor Siminalyi Fubara, were annulled following a state of emergency declaration on March 18, 2025.

The former RSIEC Chairman, Justice Adolphus Enebeli (retired), had set a new date for August 9, but this was also postponed.

The new RSIEC Chairman, Dr. Michael Odey, whose appointment drew widespread condemnation, has now set a new date of August 30, 2025, for the chairmanship and councillorship elections across the state’s 23 local government areas.

Odey defended the change, citing Section 13(5) of the RSIEC Law, which allows for a shift in date “in the event of likely breach of peace or other emergencies.”

The announcement has exacerbated the deep-seated crises within the state’s two major political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The APC in Rivers State is mired in a leadership tussle between Chief Emeka Beke and Chief Tony Okocha. Beke, who claims his state executive council is the authentic leadership, recently met with the new APC National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, to assert his authority.

On the other hand, Okocha, a strong ally of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, has the backing of the party’s national leadership. Both factions have submitted separate lists of candidates for the upcoming elections, creating a state of uncertainty.

The Beke camp, while agreeing to participate, has raised concerns about the RSIEC’s procedural irregularities. Darlington Nwauju, the faction’s publicity secretary, alleged that the commission failed to provide the constitutionally mandated 90-day notice to stakeholders.

He also expressed suspicion about the commission’s composition, claiming it is “flooded with card-carrying members of known political parties,” which casts doubt on the election’s outcome.

The PDP is also fractured, with two individuals laying claim to the state chairmanship: Chief Aaron Chukwuma, an ally of Wike, and Hon. Robinson Ewor, a supporter of the suspended governor, Fubara.

A Rivers State High Court judgment had reinstated Ewor, nullifying the congresses held in July and August 2024. However, the Wike camp appears to be ignoring the ruling, deepening the party’s crisis.

Amidst the internal turmoil, unconfirmed reports suggest a power-sharing arrangement has been struck for the local government elections.

Of the 23 chairmanship seats, eight have allegedly been allotted to the PDP and 15 to the APC. The beneficiaries are said to be Wike’s loyalists who were politically sidelined by the Fubara administration.

Meanwhile, sources close to the suspended governor, Siminalyi Fubara, report that his camp is in disarray. An anonymous loyalist claimed Fubara has “thrown all of us under the bus” and has not issued any instructions, leaving his supporters feeling abandoned.

While unconfirmed, sources hint that Fubara rejected an offer of three slots on the PDP platform to nominate candidates, a decision that has further isolated his camp.