Prominent Rivers indigenes including former governor, Celestine Omehia, and former national chairman of the People Democratic Party, Uche Secondus, have written to President Bola Tinubu to express their reservations over the proposed conduct of local government elections in the state.
The stakeholders under the aegis of ‘Major Stakeholders’ called on the president to lift the state of emergency imposed on the state and reinstate the suspended Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and the State House of Assembly.
They warned that if the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, as currently constituted under the leadership of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete (rtd), proceeds with the local government election scheduled for August 30, it could raise concerns about democratic integrity.
The open letter, issued on Thursday, was titled “Rivers LG Election: A Serious Threat To Democracy and Repeated Violations of the Constitution—Urgent Warning From Major Stakeholders.”
The stakeholders, including Atedo Peterside, Celestine Omehia, Prince Uche Secondus, Chief Abiye Sekibo, Senator Lee Maeba, Dr Dakuku Peterside, Senator Andrew Uchendu, and Engr Tele Ikuru, declared that “the proposed local government council elections in Rivers State are nothing short of an existential assault on our democracy and a brazen flouting of Nigeria’s Constitution.”
They also voiced their concerns over the ongoing “violation of constitutional governance and due process in the unlawful attempt to hold Local Government Council elections in the state.”
The letter reads, “These elections, orchestrated by a ‘Sole Administrator’ with no constitutional mandate and allegedly imposed by the Federal Government, threaten the very foundations of our federal system, the rule of law, and the peace of Rivers State.
“First, there is currently no legally constituted Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) as mandated by Sections 2, 3, 5, and 12 of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission Law, 2018. Consequently, any electoral activities undertaken by such an illegitimate body are null and void.
“The combined interpretation of the specified sections of the RSIEC Law alongside Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) establishes that only the elected Governor, upon confirmation by the Rivers State House of Assembly, is empowered to appoint the Chairman and members of RESIEC. Any appointment process outside this constitutional procedure is invalid and unconstitutional.
“Second, the illegitimate Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has flagrantly ignored the mandatory 90-day notice requirement before an election, as stipulated in Section 20 of the RSIEC Law.
“With no formal notification for candidate nominations or polling timetables—and an election date of August 30, 2025, announced on short notice—this process bears a resemblance to the 2024 polls, which the Supreme Court annulled due to procedural failures. Ignoring these safeguards is not an oversight; it is a deliberate attack on the principle of due process.”
It continued, “Third, courts across the land are actively adjudicating the legality of the Sole Administrator’s appointment and the very existence of a functioning RSIEC.
“Yet, despite pending Supreme Court and Federal High Court actions—and multiple sub judice challenges by political parties—electoral machinery grinds on under a so-called “emergency” guise.
“Fourth, Rivers State has been plunged into a constitutional crisis and a de facto state of emergency due to the federal suspension of its executive and legislative branches. If INEC deems by-elections untenable under such conditions, how can local government polls, unrelated to any genuine emergency justified?
“Fifth, Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution vests exclusive responsibility for local council elections in state governments. A federally appointed agent—lacking any legal foundation—cannot lawfully step into this role.
“The doctrine of agency, affirmed in landmark cases such as Adewumi v. Plastex Ltd. and Okafor v. Umeh, holds that an agent’s authority is strictly derivative; without a constitutional grant, the actions of the Sole Administrator are ultra vires and void.”
While arguing that “the blatant usurpation of state autonomy desecrates our federal architecture and imperils democratic governance,” they called on President Tinubu, the National Assembly, the Nigerian Judiciary, civil society, the media, the international community, and all defenders of democracy to intervene decisively.
“Rivers State stands at a crossroads: surrender to impunity or uphold the Constitution and the will of the people. The choice is ours—and the stakes could not be higher,” they declared.
Other stakeholders that added their voices in the letter include Prince Fafaa Dan Princewill, Engr Dagogo Jack, Randolph Iwo Brown, Dr Austin Tam-George, Donu Kogbara, Dr Sokonte Davies, Dr Glory Emeh, George Feyii, Hon Asita, Surv Sam Agwor and Ann-Kio Briggs.
