Rivers LG Election Under Military Administrator Illegitimate, Travesty – Group
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has condemned the August 30 local government elections in Rivers State, describing them as unconstitutional and illegitimate.
RULAAC Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, said the polls, conducted under retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, the unelected military administrator of the state, exposed “the fragility of Nigeria’s democracy and the ease with which constitutional order can be subverted.”
He argued that the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, reconstituted under Ibas, was “a product of illegality,” adding that the electoral timetable also violated provisions of the Electoral Act.
Nwanguma linked the development to President Bola Tinubu’s March 2025 declaration of emergency in Rivers, which suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the State Assembly. He warned that allowing the process to stand would “normalise the use of emergency powers to displace elected governments.”
He urged civil society to sustain pressure and described the court case challenging the polls as a crucial test of judicial independence.
Yusuf Oketola is a trained journalist with over five years of experience in the media industry. He has worked for both print and online medium. He is a thorough-bred professional with an eye of hindsight on issues bothering on social justice, purposeful leadership, and a society where the leaders charge and work for the prosperity of the people.
