Rivers Council Election: IPAC Directs Political Parties To Boycott Exercise

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Inter-Party Advisory Council IPAC, has formally declared that political parties under its umbrella will not be participating in the scheduled Rivers State Local Council Election.

The Source reports that the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, has fixed August 30, 2025, for the conduct of elections to elect officials for the State’s 23 Local Government Areas.

An earlier exercise held on October 5, 2024, by  suspended Governor Similanayi Fubara, was earlier this year, annulled by the Supreme Court for failing to satisfy the provisions of  extant laws and regulations.

But in a statement from its National Chairman, Dr Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, the IPAC described the planned Local Council Polls as “illegal, unconstitutional and a mockery of democracy.”

According to the IPAC, the Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, has no constitutional powers to conduct a democratic election.

Dr Dantalle maintained that as long as the country is not under any Martial Law, there is no way they will participate in a democratic election being conducted by an unelected official.

The IPAC National Chairman informed that the leadership of all political parties under it have been adequately notified of the resolution to boycott the planned Local Council Election.

He insisted that no amount of  propaganda and intimidation by political hirelings will obviate the illegality of the proposed exercise.

Dantalle noted that the primary purpose of declaring a state of emergency is to restore normalcy and peace in Rivers State and not to conduct democratic elections.

“The proposed Local Government election in Rivers state is illegal , unconstitutional and a mockery of our emerging democracy.

“It is totally unacceptable and should be rejected by all lovers of constitutional governance in Nigeria.

“The Sole Administrator has no constitutional mandate to conduct a democratic election as if the nation is under a military regime.

“Only an elected Governor has the constitutional powers to conduct a Local Government Election in collaboration with the State House of Assembly.

“The Sole Administrator cannot arrogate to himself powers in flagrant violation of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. The Sole Administrator is not an Emperor with absolute power to rule as he pleases.

” Gathering political hirelings who claim to be Chairmen of their political parties in Rivers State to endorse the conduct of the purported Local Government Election smacks of desperation by the Sole Administrator.

“Fake Chairmen cannot give legitimacy to gross illegality, unconstitutionality and abuse of office”, the IPAC National Chairman stated .

Dantalle, while reaffirming IPAC’s  total rejection of the exercise, also declared its unwavering commitment towards consolidating and deepening democracy in the country.

To this end,  he emphasized the readiness of the umbrella body of all registered political parties in the country to resist any attempt to undermine Nigeria’s hard earned democracy by some anti-democratic forces.

The Source further reports that  some political parties in Rivers state, including the ADC, Action Peoples Party, APP ,and others had last week informed that they will be shunning the Local Council Polls in deference to a directive from the National bodies of IPAC ,and their various parties.

While speaking with the Media in Port Harcourt ,the Rivers State Chairman of APP, Sunny Wokekoro, disclosed that all the parties have been advised to boycott the polls.

The IPAC National leadership had in a letter dated August 1,2025 , addressed to the Rivers State Sole Administrator Ibas, rejected the planned Local Council Election in the State.

In the letter which was  also copied to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the leadership of the National Assembly and all the National Heads of the country’s security agencies, IPAC had warned against any acts capable of  ridiculing the nation’s democracy.

Curiously, a few days after  IPAC made its position known, as well as communicating  same to the leadership of political parties across the State, some individuals claiming to be Chairmen of parties in Rivers state gathered to give a stamp of approval to the planned election.