“Planned Rivers State Local Government Election Illegal, Threat To Democracy” – Atiku Abubakar

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, on Saturday August 9,2025,  joined the growing ranks of those opposed to the conduct of local council election in Rivers State by a Sole Administrator.

The Source reports that the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, had, last week, announced August 30 date for the conduct of a fresh Local Government Polls in the State.

The fresh exercise follows the Supreme Court’s  annulment of the outcome of the October 5,2024 election held by the suspended Governor Similanayi Fubara.

But in a statement on Friday, a coalition of Rivers elders and stakeholders comprising a former Governor, Party Leaders and Political Office holders had, vehemently, voiced their opposition to the planned Local Council polls.

The Elders, besides faulting the gross neglect of all relevant laws precedent to the conduct of Local Government elections, including the issuance of a 90-day notice by the electoral Commission, also expressed concern that all the actions that necessitated the annulment of the earlier efforts by the Apex Court of the land, have resurfaced.

According to them, such gross violation of the rule of law and democratic principles in the build up to the conduct of the Rivers State Local Council polls, has the dangerous potentials of undermining democracy and escalating the constitutional crisis in the State.

Throwing his weight behind the Rivers stakeholders ,the former Vice President, in a post on his official site on Saturday , described the plan by Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas ,the Rivers State Sole Administrator to hold Council election as a dangerous development.

Obviously backing the earlier position of the Rivers elders , Atiku Abubakar noted that he is guarded by the time tested aphorism that ” it is in one’s interest to help put out the fire in your neighbour’s house to safeguard against your house being torched .

” I agree that what is playing out in Rivers state, with an illegal Sole Administrator , unknown to our Constitution, conducting Council election, has implications for the rest of the country .

” I join other men and women of goodwill to condemn this absurdity unequivocally”, Atiku stated .

The Source further reports that already, the plan by the Michael Odey-led RSIEC to go ahead with the controversial polls, has drawn much flaks from some political parties which have threatened to boycott the exercise .

The All Peoples Party APP which was adopted by Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s supporters during last year’s exercise, alongside others under the aegis of Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, have signaled their intentions not to be part of the election.

Other aggrieved parties and stakeholders are also said to be getting ready to mount legal proceedings against the exercise immediately after its conclusion.