The major political parties that would give a semblance of credibility to the August 30 local government election in Rivers State have distance themselves from the election, with some citing the rush by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to conduct the election in short notice.
Some of the parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Action Peoples Party l(APP) and a faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC), may likely boycott the planned local government elections.
There is a strong opposition of the conduct of the LG polls by the Chief Emeka Beke faction, which had registered it’s protest at the APC national headquarters in Abuja.
The spokesman of the Beke-led faction of APC in the state, Hon. Darlington Nwauju, cited internal crisis within the party that needs to be addressed before RESIEC can conduct any election.
Nwauju said, “We have taken a position based on some of the missteps that the RSIEC had made in terms of recognising the duly validated leadership of the APC in Rivers.
“But with the interaction we had with the national leadership of the APC, I think we will have some rapprochement to ensure that the fortunes of the party are not endangered because of vested interest of some individuals who are politically desperate.”
Similarly, the spokesperson of the ADC in the Rivers, Chief Luckyman Egila, said that the party will first hold a stakeholders’ meeting will determine their final position to decide on whether or not it would participate in the election,
Egila said, “In the coming days, the critical stakeholders of the ADC will meet, deliberate and share our position on whether we will be partaking in the forthcoming LG election or not. That is our position. It is after the meeting that we will tell everyone our position.”
Meanwhile, some knowned card-carrying members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) by a faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) loyal to Barr. Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The Chief Tony Okocha faction of the party has declared it’s intention to participate in the election, while the faction led by Chief Emeka Beke, which is loyal to Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has said it won’t participate in the election.
Under Fubara, RSIEC had on October 5, 2024 conducted an election wherein APP, backed by Fubara, won 22, out of the 23 local government areas in the state.
But they were sacked by the Supreme Court, which ruled that RSIEC did not observe the 90 day-notice in line with the Electoral Act, a judgement that recreated another political tussle over the control of the council areas.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) had announced August 30, 2025 for election at a stakeholders meeting, that was not attended by some parties, which frowned at the conduct of the election by the Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (rtd.) Emergency rule government.
Most of the candidates fielded by the Okocha-led APC faction are mostly former caretaker chairmen, loyal to Wike, but were remove through the courts by the Governor Siminalayi Fubara administration, which conducted election that brought in a new set of candidates as chairmen.
In the primaries conducted on Saturday by the Okocha faction, 12 PDP members have so far emerged as APC chairmanship candidates in 12 LGAs in results so far released in Oyigbo, Omuma, Ogu/Bolo, Gokana and Etche, Asari Toru, Ikwerre, Khana, Tai, Degema, and Bonny.
According to a source, the result of the remaining 11 local government areas would also be former PDP members, who will be fielded by the APC for the August 30th election.
