Key political stakeholders and pro-democracy advocates in Rivers State have denounced the scheduled August 30 local government elections in the state, calling it unconstitutional.
In a statement on Friday addressed to President Bola Tinubu, the leaders described the proposed polls as “an existential assault on democracy” and a “brazen flouting of Nigeria’s Constitution.” They alleged that the process is being driven by an appointee with no constitutional mandate, allegedly imposed by the Federal Government, in violation of due process and established law.
According to the group, Rivers State currently lacks a legally constituted Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) as required by Sections 2, 3, 5 and 12 of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission Law, 2018.
They stressed that, under Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), only an elected governor, with confirmation from the state House of Assembly, can appoint the RSIEC chairman and members.
The stakeholders also faulted the RSIEC for failing to give the mandatory 90-day notice before the election, as stipulated in Section 20 of the RSIEC Law. They noted that the sudden announcement of the August 30 poll date, without proper notification for nominations or a polling timetable, mirrors procedural flaws that led the Supreme Court to annul the 2024 polls.
They further argued that ongoing court cases, including matters before the Supreme Court and Federal High Court challenging the legitimacy of the Sole Administrator and RSIEC, make it improper to proceed with the election.
“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,” it partly reads.
The statement added that Rivers State has been plunged into a constitutional crisis, with its executive and legislative arms suspended by the Federal Government. “If INEC considers by-elections impossible under such conditions, how can local government polls, unrelated to any genuine emergency, be justified?” they asked.
The leaders urged President Bola Tinubu,
the National Assembly, the judiciary, civil society, the media, and the international community to intervene, warning that Rivers State faces a defining choice between “surrendering to impunity” or “upholding the Constitution and the will of the people.”
Source; Vanguard News
