RIVERS: Ibas To Oversee August 30 Scheduled LGA Elections

The Sole Administrator in Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd.) is expected to oversee the conduct of the state local government areas elections, scheduled for August 30, 2025 by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).

This was as RSIEC on Monday announced the stipulated date during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Commission’s headquarters along Aba Road in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

The meeting was at the instance of the RSIEC Chairman, Dr. Michael Ekpali Odey, who 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.

The fresh council elections in the state is consequent upon the Supreme Court’s nullification of the previous local government elections conducted on October 5, 2024, under suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

In the ruling delivered on February 28, 2025, the apex court declared the October 2024 elections was invalid, citing violations of the Electoral Act 2022, particularly the failure to issue the mandatory 90-day notice and the improper handling of the voters register.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state dragged the commission to court over the election, after a Federal High Court in Abuja, initially barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voters register and restrained law enforcement from supporting the polls.

Though the Court of Appeal vacated the order, citing jurisdictional issues, the Supreme Court later upheld the Federal High Court’s decision, resulting in the dismissal of all chairmen elected across the state’s 23 local government areas.

The development escalated the political tension in the state, prompting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to to declare a state of emergency in Rivers on March 18, 2025, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the State House of Assembly and appointing Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd.), to serve as the Sole Administrator of the state.

Upon assuming the office of running the state for a period of six months, the Sole Administrator dissolved and restructured the RSIEC and the local government councils, as well as all other government boards and agencies in the state.

The August 30 scheduled date for the council elections is eliciting concerns in some quarters, as some fear the date might equally violate the mandatory 90-day notice ought to be issued by RSIEC ahead of the polls, which was one of the reasons the apex court annulled the October 5 2024 elections.