President Bola Tinubu has been urged by prominent Rivers Elders, such as former Governor Celestine Omehia and former PDP National Chairman Uche Secondus, to suspend the state’s local government elections.
Local government elections in the state are set for August 30 by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission.
Under the guise of “Major Stakeholders,” the Rivers Elders and other stakeholders, urged the president to revoke the state’s declared state of emergency and restore Siminalayi Fubara, the suspended governor, and the state House of Assembly members.
Members include Tele Ikuru, Senator Andrew Uchendu, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, Senator Lee Maeba, Chief Abiye Sekibo, and Atedo Peterside.
Other stakeholders are Prince Fafaa Dan Princewill, Dagogo Jack, Randolph Iwo Brown, Dr Austin Tam-George, Donu Kogbara, Dr Sokonte Davies, Dr Glory Emeh, George Feyii, Honourable Asita, Sam Agwor and Ann-Kio Briggs.
Recall that on March 18, 2025, Fubara, Deputy Governor Prof. Ngozi Odu, and members of the state House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, were suspended by the President.
In their appeal, the Rivers elders claimed that democracy would be threatened if the RSIEC, which was established by Vice Admiral Ibas (retd.), proceeded with the LG poll.
The open letter was titled: “Rivers LG election: A Serious Threat To Democracy and Repeated Violation of The Constitution — Urgent Warning From Major Stakeholders.”
The Rivers elders insisted that “the proposed local government council election in Rivers State is nothing short of an existential assault on our democracy and a brazen flouting of Nigeria’s Constitution.”
They also raised concerns over the ongoing “violation of constitutional governance and due process in the unlawful attempt to hold LG election in the state.”
The letter read, “These elections, orchestrated by a ‘Sole Administrator’ with no constitutional mandate and allegedly imposed by the Federal Government, threaten the very foundations of our federal system, the rule of law, and the peace of Rivers State.
“First, there is currently no legally constituted Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) as mandated by Sections 2, 3, 5, and 12 of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission Law, 2018.
“Consequently, any electoral activities undertaken by such an illegitimate body are null and void.”
“With no formal notification for candidate nominations or polling timetables, and an election date of August 30, 2025, announced on short notice, this process bears a resemblance to the 2024 polls, which the Supreme Court annulled due to procedural failures.
“Ignoring these safeguards is not an oversight; it is a deliberate attack on the principle of due process,” the group said.
The Rivers elders additionally stressed that the RSIEC had ignored the mandatory 90-day notice requirement before an election, as stipulated in Section 20 of the RSIEC Law.
While arguing that “the blatant usurpation of state autonomy desecrates our federal architecture and imperils democratic governance,” they urged on President Tinubu, the National Assembly, the Nigerian judiciary, civil society, the media, the international community, and all defenders of democracy to intervene decisively.
“Rivers State stands at a crossroads: surrender to impunity or uphold the constitution and the will of the people. The choice is ours and the stakes could not be higher,” they emphasized.
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