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With about two years to the 2027 general elections, the political landscape in Rivers State is already shifting as a grand plot emerges to secure a victory for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the oil-rich state.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) announced a new date for the local government elections, August 30, 2025, last month.
This came after the annulment of the October 5, 2024, polls held under the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the declaration of a state of emergency on March 18.
The former RSIEC Chairman, Justice Adolphus Enebeli (retd.), had earlier fixed August 9 for the exercise. However, the new chairman, Michael Odey, whose appointment sparked protests and condemnation at the National Assembly, stated that the shift was in line with Section 13(5) of the RSIEC Law.
Odey told stakeholders, “Given recent developments and based on Section 13(5) of the RSIEC Law, which permits a shift in date in the event of likely breach of peace or other emergencies, the Commission has deemed it necessary to reschedule the election. Therefore, by the powers vested in the Commission, I hereby announce Saturday, August 30, 2025, for the conduct of chairmanship and councillorship elections across the 23 LGAs of Rivers State.”
Some loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had previously boycotted the annulled October 5 elections, citing constitutional breaches, particularly RSIEC’s failure to observe the 90-day notice provision required to give parties sufficient time to mobilise.
The fresh announcement has once again deepened suspicion that the exercise is being manipulated to favour specific interests ahead of 2027.
In the meantime, suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara has gone quiet, leaving his loyalists in limbo.
A vocal supporter told Vanguard under anonymity, “This man (Fubara) has thrown all of us under the bus. He has not passed any instruction. And those who stuck their neck out in support of him have been abandoned.”
Sources claim that Fubara was offered three PDP slots to nominate candidates but rejected them, with only a former chairman of Opobo Nkoro LGA, who was close to him, securing one of the slots.
A source disclosed that the sighting of the former Opobo Nkoro council chairman at an APC primary is a strong signal that Fubara may be preparing to dump the PDP for the ruling APC.
Recall that in the peace agreement he allegedly signed after his suspension, one of the conditions required him to defect to the APC.
The post Rivers LG: ‘This Man (Fubara) Has Thrown All Of Us Under The Bus’ appeared first on Naija News.
