Ibas will get sweeping powers
By Daniel Abia, P/Harcourt
It’s about two years to the 2027 basic elections.However the grand plot to make sure victory for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Rivers State has already been set.
This was sequel to the announcement in July of a contemporary date for the native authorities elections by the Rivers State Impartial Electoral Fee, RSIEC.
Recall that the previous RSIEC Chairman, Justice Adolphus Enebeli (retired), had scheduled August 9 for the polls following the annulment of the one earlier performed on October 5, 2024 with then Governor Siminalyi Fubara overseeing the affairs of the state earlier than he was summarily suspended following the declaration of state of emergency on March 18.
Some loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, opted out of the October 5 train, citing constitutional irregularities akin to non-compliance with the 90 days provision by the state electoral physique to allow collaborating political events’ enough time to mobilize members.
Shockingly, on the finish of final month, Dr. Michael Odey, the brand new Chairman of RSIEC, whose nomination and appointment sparked a widespread condemnation even within the Nationwide Meeting, introduced August 30 as a brand new date for the elections.
Whereas he condemned the Fee’s earlier scheduled polls, at a stakeholders’ assembly held on March 5, 2025, for August 9 because the date for the elections, Odey defended that “given current developments and primarily based on Part 13(5) of the RSIEC Regulation, which allows a shift in date within the occasion of probably breach of peace or different emergencies, the Fee has deemed it essential to reschedule the election”.
He added: “Due to this fact, by the powers vested within the Fee, I hereby announce the postponement of the sooner date and the approval of Saturday, August 30, 2025, for the conduct of chairmanship and councillorship elections throughout the 23 native authorities areas of Rivers State.”
Similar events, similar candidates
There are litany of instances ready to be resolved within the two main political events within the state. Chief Emeka Beke is laying declare to the truth that he and his state govt council stay the face of genuine All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State.
Solely not too long ago, Beke paid a shock go to to the brand new Nationwide Chairman of the social gathering, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, in Abuja to current himself and the exco as the one supply he may cope with on any situation that pertains to Rivers APC till October 25 when his tenure elapses.
Then again, Chief Tony Okocha, who is essentially an ally of the FCT Minister, Wike, holds his personal with all of the backings from Abuja in his favour.
Each camps had introduced completely different lists of candidates for the August 30 elections to RSIEC. It’s subsequently left to be seen what comes out of that drama.
PDP aspirants with APC types
Through the primaries, held a fortnight in the past, some members of the PDP, who went to take part within the train, had been seen popping out with the APC types.
Of the 23 chairmanship seats being contested for, eight slots had been allegedly allotted to the PDP whereas the APC bought 15 slots.
Majority of those that got the types had been stated to be Wike’s foot troopers who had been both sacked by Fubara or relegated to political silence.
Additionally in PDP, two individuals are laying declare to chairmanship place of the social gathering: Chief Aaron Chukwuma, who’s Wike’s ally, and Hon Robinson Ewor, Fubara’s sympathizer.
Ewor was reinstated by the judgment of Rivers State Excessive Courtroom that nullified the congresses held on July 27, August 10 and August 31, 2024 respectively.
However Wike camp doesn’t appear to have any coping with the Ewor led Exco, a scenario which has cascaded the social gathering into extra disaster.
The Beke camp, which has since indicated curiosity to take part within the council polls, raised issues in regards to the administrative and procedural lacuna which RSIEC allegedly created.
Darlington Nwauju, publicity secretary of the Emeka exco, was of the opinion that the Fee didn’t persuade the general public why it flouted that provision of 90-day discover to the stakeholders.
“We had issued an announcement complaining of some gray areas that wanted to be addressed by RSIEC. We talked about updating the voters register after which the difficulty of the 90-day provision was not adhered to. However as a law-abiding political social gathering, now we have accepted to take part within the election”, he stated.
Nwauju alleged that the composition of the RSIEC was suspect as it’s flooded with “card carrying members of identified political events. That alone, in line with him, has created doubt in each smart thoughts in regards to the consequence of the elections outcome.
He remarked that his conviction to participate within the train was borne out of APC’s overwhelming assist in your entire 23 native authorities areas of the state.
“Our legal professionals had written to the RSIEC. We knowledgeable them that anyone or establishment that offers with any group or individuals not acknowledged by legislation, is null and void”, he identified, saying that he trusted the judgment of the brand new Nationwide Chairman of the APC.
Fubara’s camp in disarray
“This man (Fubara) has thrown all of us below the bus”, a vocal loyalist of the suspended governor volunteered anonymously. He stated no person has heard something from him.
“He has not handed any instruction. And people who caught their neck out in assist of him have been deserted”.
Unconfirmed sources hinted that Fubara was given three slots on the PDP platform to appoint candidates however he rejected the supply. One other supply stated that the one individual near him that has taken the slot is a former Chairman of Opobo Nkoro native authorities space the place the suspended governor comes from.
Defection
The previous council chairman, who was sighted on the social gathering primaries of the APC, gave observers a transparent indication that Fubara often is the subsequent massive political fish to dump the PDP and be part of the ruling APC.
Keep in mind, within the peace settlement he allegedly signed, one of many situations spelt out to him was that he ought to defect to the APC.
By optics, the symptoms level to that course.
A couple of months in the past, shortly after the peace accord in Abuja, Fubara addressed his teeming supporters in Rivers.
He warned them to not go public in defence of him till he gave clearance for such project.
This explains why the Simplified Motion, a grassroots political construction of the suspended governor that was as soon as very vocal in all sense of publicity has all of a sudden gone dump.
Members are actually compelled to talk in hush tones to flee sanctions.
Ibas sweeping powers
It was stunning to many observers within the state when RSIEC introduced a contemporary date for the council polls. Extra stunning was the truth that, Fubara was touted to be the one to conduct the elections even after he was coerced to not discipline any candidate.
However it quickly surfaced that President Bola Tinubu had allegedly modified the powers of the Sole Administrator of Rivers State within the Conduct of Native Authorities Council Elections.
The President additionally altered the powers of the Sole Administrator for the immediate dedication of petitions and litigations arising and the likes within the emergency
“This was contained in a Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette Quantity 125, Lagos dated twenty second July, 2025”, a supply aware of the doc quoted.
“The Gazette additionally suspended Part 2 Subsection 2 of the Rivers State Impartial Electoral Fee Regulation Quantity 2 of 2018 which covers the appointment of the Chairman and Members of the Rivers State Impartial Electoral Fee, RSIEC.
“As an alternative, the doc grants the facility to nominate and swear within the Chairman and Members of the Rivers State Impartial Electoral Fee on the Sole Administrator.
“This gazette cum govt fiat was finished few days in the past after realizing the authorized errors within the abrasive actions they’ve carried out with IBAS Ibok Ete, and the motion was again dated to July 22, 2025. Whereas, IBAS illegality of suspending the democratically constituted RSIEC dated again to Could 2025, a interval his motion had no authorized backing whether or not rightly or wrongly”.
Board appointments
Only some days in the past, the Sole Administrator made appointments into eight boards within the state.
This leaves many to surprise what would then be the duty of Fubara when he ultimately returns as governor! “These appointments are condemnable”, stated a authorized practitioner who won’t need his identify talked about due to ongoing litigation.
“Since he has been warned to not nurture the thought of vying for second time period, it’s apparent that the only real duty of the governor would solely be to are likely to the Minister’s political construction after which vacate the stage in 2027.
“In the event that they stated that there’s peace between Fubara and Wike, why is the governor not collaborating within the ongoing electoral course of? He’s not in any marketing campaign for his social gathering. No person is aware of the place he’s for the time being”.
Rivers clear for Tinubu
Wike didn’t minced phrases when he stated throughout one in all his media chats in Abuja that he would make sure that Tinubu wins Rivers State in his re-election bid in 2027.
He declared with gusto that he would lead the marketing campaign practice of the President within the state.
In 2023, as a sitting governor, Wike went all out in opposition to the presidential candidate of his personal social gathering, the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, and gave Tinubu the wanted victory within the state.
With the stage now set for the council elections and the 2 main political events, APC and PDP, neatly tucked in his kitty, the FCT Minister appears to have cleared the smoky coast for Tinubu’s victory.
Chief Victor Giadom, South-South Nationwide Vice Chairman of the APC, and Tony Okocha, factional APC Chairman in Rivers State, on Thursday, in the course of the flag-off of marketing campaign rally, boasted that the social gathering will win your entire 23 LGAs within the forthcoming council polls.
“We aren’t simply going to check the waters on thirtieth August, we’re going to contest and win the elections within the 23 LGAs and win the 319 wards in Rivers state”, Okocha stated
The put up Rivers LG polls: Fubara’s men in the dark, Wike moves to retake political structure for Tinubu appeared first on Vanguard News.
