RESIDENTS across the 23 local government areas of Rivers State will on Saturday file out to vote in fresh local government elections scheduled to be conducted in 6,866 polling units across 319 wards.
News Point Nigeria reports that the polls are coming exactly six months and two days after the Supreme Court nullified the October 5, 2024, election conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) for breaching provisions of the Electoral Act.
Rivers, which is home to some of Nigeria’s largest oil and gas assets, is often regarded as the economic hub of the South-South, making the outcome of the polls politically significant. Analysts believe the results could shape alignments ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
In a pre-election broadcast on Friday, RSIEC Chairman Michael Odey urged residents to come out en masse and peacefully exercise their civic duty.
“With the support of the police, adequate security has been put in place to protect lives and property,” Odey said, adding that voting materials would arrive promptly in all polling units, including rural and riverine areas.
He further disclosed that the restriction of movement across the state would run from 12 am to 6 pm on Saturday.
To reassure voters, security agencies on Friday staged a joint show of force, beginning from the Rivers State Police Command Headquarters in Port Harcourt.
The convoy featured patrol vehicles from the Nigerian Police Force, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and other agencies.
The display of operational readiness moved through major streets in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor LGAs, with security chiefs pledging to maintain peace before, during, and after the polls.
Earlier in the week, Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, had assured residents that personnel and logistics had been deployed to guarantee a free, fair, and credible election.
The election is taking place under unusual political circumstances. Rivers has been under the rule of a sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), since March 19, 2025, when President Bola Tinubu swore him in following the suspension of Governor Sim Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and the state House of Assembly.
The suspension came after a protracted power tussle between Fubara and Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, plunged the state into political turmoil. Although President Tinubu later brokered peace between the two political rivals, the state remains under the administration of Ibas.
Some stakeholders have raised concerns about the credibility of the election, particularly because it is being conducted by a state electoral body led by an appointee of the sole administrator.
Legal practitioner Chetam Nwala, in an interview on Channels Television, argued that the exercise was not in the best interest of Rivers people.
“The election in Rivers State is not in the best interest of Rivers people, and that is why people may not participate in the election,” he said.
Similarly, Jake Epelle, Chief Executive Officer of TAF Africa, criticised the emergence of candidates from both APC and PDP, calling it a ploy to mislead voters.
“The mixture of PDP and APC candidates is like a concoction being served to the innocent people of Rivers State. You can’t make a bad apple look good,” Epelle said.
The Supreme Court nullified the October 5, 2024 elections conducted by RSIEC, ruling that the process violated Section 150 of the Electoral Act.
Delivering judgment, Justice Jamilu Tukur declared that RSIEC acted unlawfully by continuing voter registration even after announcing the election date, thereby abridging due process.
In a related ruling, the apex court also barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Accountant General of the Federation, and other financial agencies from releasing funds to Rivers State until it purged itself of what it described as flagrant disobedience to court orders.