The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said it will not take part in the Rivers State local government election slated for August 30, 2025, describing the build-up to the poll as a charade.
The party also claimed that the administrator assigned to handle the state’s business lacked the constitutional authority to hold an election for the Rivers people.
This comes as the Rotimi Amaechi faction of the All Progressives Congress in the state accuses the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) of making its own regulations.
The faction claimed that the electoral commission had not contacted the Emeke Beke-led party leadership, which is recognised by the court.
Luckyman Egila, the state publicity secretary of the ADC, stated during a news briefing in Port Harcourt over the weekend that the administrator, Vice Adm. Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), is now occupying the Government House illegally and without the constitutional authority to conduct any election.
“The African Democratic Congress, Rivers State chapter, will not be participating in the selection process that is going on in Rivers State, because an election is not taking place in Rivers State.
“Rivers State is presently under martial law. When you are under emergency rule, you want to come and conduct elections, but I don’t know how.
“The Administrator that is there now constitutionally does not have the right to conduct elections for Rivers people because he does not represent Rivers people.
“We don’t know him. So, appointing someone who is not from Rivers State to come and conduct elections for us is absurd. We will not be partaking in the charade they call elections,” he said.
Darlington Nwauju, the state publicity secretary for the Beke-led APC, accused RSIEC of “creating its own rules”.
Nwauju stated that the faction’s candidates originated during the last RSIEC, chaired by Justice Adolphus Enebeli (retd.), which was suspended.
He bemoaned that the current commission, chaired by Dr Michael Odey, had not even contacted the Beke leadership.
He stated, “So we are waiting on RSIEC to do the right thing so that we can be part of the process. They have not done the right thing, so we cannot stay outside and say we can be part of the process, whereas RSIEC has clearly, as at this moment, ignored the subsisting order of a state high court, which validates Chief Emeka Beke’s leadership.
“They need to interface with us, because we have our internal processes. We had nominated candidates before, and those candidates are all alive. We are not saying we are not prepared—if we are contacted or communicated with—to run elections.”
He added, “Part of our fears with the present commission is the fact that, whereas they have used some of the materials and policies earlier adopted by the Justice Adolphus Enebeli commission, they are now cherry-picking in terms of what to adopt.
“Now, what happens to the fact that stakeholders of political parties who were contacted officially about the process are suddenly not communicated with again?”
The faction had urged RSIEC to wait for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conclude the voters’ registration exercise, in compliance with the Supreme Court judgement delivered in February, before going ahead with the LG poll.
According to him, “If you look at the Supreme Court judgement in February this year, one of the fundamentals is this issue of an updated voters’ register. The requirement simply means that RSIEC should have an updated register for effective planning of elections.
“I do not think you’re supposed to have registration in the middle of elections, given the fact that most persons who are up to voting age by this year would have been effectively alienated or disenfranchised from this election.”
However, the Chief Tony Okocha-led APC in the state confirmed it’s ready to participate in the LG election, stating that its candidates have emerged and that the party will begin campaigns this week.
Its Publicity Secretary, Chibike Ikenga, stated that the party was satisfied with the timetable and guidelines established by RSIEC.
Ikenga stated, “Yes, we will be participating. So far, RSIEC has done the right thing, and we don’t have any issues. As we speak, our candidates have all emerged. We will participate fully in the elections, and we are flagging off our campaigns on Thursday.”
