The recently conducted Local Government Elections in Rivers State have continued to raise a lot of controversies and reactions among Nigerians, groups and political parties.

Ekwutosblog reports that Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, went on with the election despite widespread vehement opposition from notable Nigerians and stakeholders who believed it not only violates the Nigerian constitution but also makes a mockery of the country’s democracy.

Many Nigerians, especially those in the opposition and some analysts, believe the election was a plan to hand the state’s political structure to the APC and by extension President Bola Tinubu ahead of 2027.

Those holding this line of thought are irked that parts of the nation’s constitution were suspended to pave the way for the process, especially the mandatory notice as provided by the Electoral Act.

At the end of the controversial exercise, the commission announced that the All Progressives Congress, APC, which is supposed to be the main opposition in the state, won 20 local government areas in the exercise, while the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, secured only three.

Similarly, the APC won the councillorship election in 20 LGAs, while the PDP took three.

Ekwutosblog notes that this marks the first time APC has gained dominance in Rivers State since the return of democracy in 1999.

Following the exercise which many have described as a scam, the sole administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas, retd, sworn in the newly elected chairmen of the state’s 23 local government councils.

Ekwutosblog reports that the swearing-in ceremony took place at the Government House, shortly after the chairmen received their certificates of return from the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC office.

RSIEC’s result said that APC’s Ofori Owolabi won the Abua/Odual LGA chairmanship seat. In Ahoada East, APC’s Solomon Achoma won.

Other APC winners are Eugene Cheta, Ahoada West; Bob Fubarab, Akuku Toru; Otua Promise, Andoni; George Onengiyeofori, Asari Toru; Pepple Blessing, Bonny LGA; Michael Williams, Degema; and Obarilomate Ollor, Eleme LGA; Lloyd Julius, Emohua.

Others are Njoku Chima, Etche; Confidence Deko, Gokana; Wobodo Charles, Ikwerre; Thomas Bariere, Khana; Dr. Gift Wodo, Obio/Akpor; Akuro Tobin, Okrika; Obasi Uchechukwu, Omuma; James A. James, Opobo/Nkoro; Okechukwu Nwogu, Oyigbo; and Okwe Mbakpone, Tai LGA – APC.

The three PDP winners are Chukwu Ogbodo, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni; Vincent Nimieboka, Ogu/Bolo LGA; and Sir Allwell Ihunda, Port Harcourt.

Despite reports of a statewide boycott of the election, over two million votes were announced by the organisers of the polls which was more than five times the votes cast in the 2023 presidential election in the state.

Former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, said there were no local government elections in Rivers State.

Writing on X, Abubakar said the LG poll and its outcome was “an awful absurdity and a travesty to the very notion of elective democracy.”

He criticised the Tinubu administration over the manner the elections were conducted.

“By the shameful and shambolic manner in which the occupation government went ahead to conduct local government elections in Rivers State, it is clear that the ruling APC party is not leaving anyone in doubt that it is prepared to throw caution to the wind to achieve an inordinate political advantage,” he said.

The Chief Executive Officer of TAF Africa, Jake Epelle, described the election as a democratic scam and totally unconstitutional which was done with 2027 in focus.

“It’s unfortunate we’re living in interesting times, especially politically speaking, and what played out in Rivers State on Saturday can only be described as unprecedented political manoeuvring, which is sort of a sham, and what looks like a democratic scam.

“I say that to buttress that point. I say that everything about this election that was held on Saturday was totally illegal and unconstitutional,” he said, describing it as a slap on the faces of Rivers people.

Ekwutosblog reports that the suspended governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, was conspicuously absent during the election.

Apart from the governor, his key supporters, including Chief of Staff Edison Ehie, Secretary to the Government Tammy Danagogo, and other notable loyalists, were absent from their respective polling units during the election.

Similarly, the 23 former local government chairmen whom the Supreme Court sacked also shunned the election.

A source close to the governor told DAILY POST that power has been taken from Fubara.

“Most of the things happening today are parts of the agreement Wike and Fubara signed in the presence of Mr President.

“They have taken the power from the governor,” the source close to the governor of Rivers State told Ekwutosblog.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, recently hinted that the return of Fubara, on the 18th of September, 2025, is sacrosanct but some political observers are wondering what the governor would be returning to do, with all his powers taken from him.

Following the then so-called reconciliation between Fubara and Wike, Rufai Oseni and Reuben Abati of Arise TV said the governor had been arm-twisted.

“In the first place, the fight is about the state’s resources, now they have been able to arm-twist Fubara,” Rufai said.

For Abati, “What Fubara did was an unconditional surrender to exhibit his cowardice. What are the conditions of that surrender? We’d like to know.”

Followers of the political situation in Rivers State believe that the September 30 Local Government Election has answered Abati’s questions as to what were the conditions of Fubara’s surrender.

Speaking to Ekwutosblog on how he now sees the administration of Governor Fubara following the LG election, Mr Darlington Nwauju, the Publicity Secretary of the Emeka Beke’s faction of the APC in Rivers State, said, “Concerning the administration of Gov Sim Fubara, it’s obvious his influence as Governor is castrated.”

On Wike taking over the political structures in Rivers State, he said “All I can tell you is that an average Rivers politician only follows you when you have contracts or money to share and Wike is sharing the money now.

“But, I refer you to the experiences of all those who distributed patronages like him, before now. Has all the transactional loyalties around them not expired? So, nobody owns any structures. It is pay as you go.”

Speaking on the LGA elections of August 30 2025, he said, “it has come and gone and we are in court, demanding for the authentic flag bearers of the party to be recognized and certainly the certificates of return issued to those pretending to be Chairmen, shall be nullified and fresh certificates issued our candidates.

“I won’t dwell much on that because the issue is in court as you can’t have an umpire descend into the arena to decide who candidates of any political party should be.”

Also speaking with Ekwutosblog , Dr Sani Abubakar, a political analyst, said, “First of all, I would say Nigerians and especially analysts who are observing the political terrain, myself included, we are highly disappointed by what transpired in Rivers State and I think if I would use the parameters of what a credible election is known for, transparency, fair play and all that, I would say the elections, especially the local government chairmanship elections in Rivers State have fallen short on that.

“We’ve seen the handwriting on the wall that the FCT Minister Barr. Wike has manipulated remote controls, and I think, succeeded in making everything work out in his favour in such a manner that now we can say he is fully in control of the political machinery of Rivers State.

“This local government election that took place does not reflect the will of the ordinary man on the streets of Rivers, we have seen how his political proteges, his stooges appeared on the platform of both PDP and APC, Chidi Lloyd and so many others.

“Whether it is APC or PDP, they were all the political ghosts of Wike and this they did so that if Fubara eventually comes back, I don’t know, they say it is on September 18 or thereabouts he would be at the mercy of the FCT minister and his cohorts.

“You know, they have fully taken control of the local government structure of the state and the state house of assembly, so the governor would be at their mercy now.

“I’m scared for President Tinubu, as well as Wike because I don’t know, posterity will not be kind to them. One day, Nigerians will give out their verdict. Many people know that the system is wrong, but they don’t have the courage to come out and condemn it, and everybody is trying to look the other way.

“From the sole administrator in the state, the former chief of Naval staff to the State Independent Electoral Commissioner, a chairman, or whatever they call him, what he did, that is just a charade that’s not what we call election.

“And you see how they recruited their thugs, their party supporters to thumbprint ballot papers, everything. How can we call that one election? You got to get your political appointees, you got your party supporters, they were busy thumb-printing, then you see the high number of votes coming out from some of those local government elections, even transcending what was recorded during the presidential election.

“How can you tell me this election was fair? There is nothing like an election there. And this portends great danger for the next election that we’re having in 2027.

“It means the APC or the government of President Tinubu would do everything in its power. They don’t care whether it is right or wrong, what they are concerned about is winning it.

“If Nigerians like, let them go to court, and then at the end, the court will rubber stamp whatever INEC has declared. That is not how elections ought to be.

“Elections should be free and fair in such a way that INEC will conduct it, Nigerians will accept the result without going to court.

“But with this kind of thing that we are experiencing, Nigerians are losing confidence in the entire system, and this may lead to voter apathy in the next general election in 2027, because if the vote of Nigerians doesn’t even count at the end, the Independent Electoral Commission will do what they want, regardless of whoever Nigerians have voted for. What’s the essence? What was the use of coming out to vote?

“It lacks everything that has to do, whatever you will know, as far as credibility is concerned, whatever parameter you think you use in an election that is credible, that election lacks it. So as I’m concerned, it’s just a strategy. And for now, Minister WIke has won.

“He has got the party structure, but I know posterity and the future will not be kind to them, that’s just the few comments I can make.

“I think the short and long of it, what is transpiring River State is battle for the sole of River State and from what has transpired now the APC, especially President Tinubu would tell Wike ‘well done, my good son in whom I am well pleased because you finally took charge of Rivers, especially now that we are seeing Rotimi Amaechi is trying to bounce back’.

“‘He’s trying to resonate himself through the ADC, it’s good that we’ve won. We’re going to empower you to hold Rivers for us. And what you have done, you have really taken charge,’ I think President Tinubu may be satisfied with that.

“Wike is fully in control of the party structure in the state, it will be a simple road to victory for APC. Because we all know, even though he pretends that he’s in the PDP, he surely is with APC.

“So he will stay in the PDP and sabotage the PDP to see that the APC turns out victorious. I think that’s the major reason why it happened.

“At the moment, I think Wike is the national leader of the PDP, working for the APC government. So for now, I think the coast is clear for them.”

Asked if the judiciary could be be bold enough to nullify the Rivers LGA election, the analyst added, “If you have read former president, Olusegun Obasanjo’s book, ‘Nigeria, present and the future’, you’ll see how he gave a good picture of the Nigerian judiciary system. I think one institution in Nigeria at the moment that doesn’t have any credibility is not just the police, it’s the judiciary.

“I don’t see the judiciary doing anything to rectify the illegality that has taken place in the Rivers.

“They will collect money and do the bidding of those who are in government.”

At the movement, the RSIEC had told aggrieved political parties and their candidates, in the just concluded local government elections in the state, to go to court, as the law has provided a channel for redress.

Meanwhile, Wike, while speaking during a media parley on Monday, said the polls were legally conducted and commended by many for being free and fair.

Replying Peter Obi and Atiku, Wike stressed that the court has not declared the Rivers State local government election illegal.

He was optimistic that the election and its results would be upheld by the court.