RISIEC Insists on August 30 Amidst Rejection

The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RISIEC) has reiterated its commitment to conducting local government elections on August 30, despite a wave of rejections and legal concerns surrounding its recently unveiled timetable.
RISIEC had, on Monday, July 28, hosted its first stakeholders’ meeting since the new board was inaugurated last month. During this meeting at its Aba Road office in Port Harcourt, the commission presented a new election timetable.
Dr. Michael Odey, the Chairman of the commission, stated that this new timetable superseded an earlier one set by the dissolved board, previously headed by Hon. Justice Adolphus Enebeli (Rtd.), citing “new political developments in the state.”
Immediately following the timetable’s release, significant opposition emerged. Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), criticized the time frame as “not only illegal and a contravention of the decision of the Supreme Court, but it was practically impossible.” He emphasized that conducting local government elections without the mandatory notice period violates a Supreme Court judgment, calling RISIEC’s 21-day notice a “violation of the law and a subsisting judgment of the Supreme Court.”
Yakubu questioned the feasibility of political parties conducting primaries, nominating candidates, organizing campaigns, and for the election commission to conduct voter education, recruit and train ad hoc staff, manage logistics, and organize security within such a short period. He advised RISIEC to revise the timetable to comply with the Supreme Court’s election time frame decisions.
The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) in Rivers State also rejected the timetable. In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Emmanuel Obe, the CLO asserted that the new RISIEC board was “unconstitutionally constituted and as such lacks the legitimacy to conduct or reschedule elections.”
The CLO further argued that the unveiled timetable failed to comply with the Electoral Act’s requirement for a 90-day election notice and omitted provisions for the display and verification of the voters’ register, raising concerns about transparency and potential voter disenfranchisement.
The CLO demanded that RISIEC suspend the election and withdraw the timetable until a credible and lawful process is established, vowing legal and democratic action to halt the elections.
Legal practitioner Mr. Loveday Obari echoed these concerns, stating that the entire process appears driven by political interests aiming to install “Wike’s loyalists as council chairmen and councillors before the restoration of the governor.”
He highlighted that RISIEC is “running breach of the law because timelines specified by the Electoral Act are not being kept,” likening it to the mistakes that led to the Supreme Court’s nullification of the previous council election. Obari lamented the lack of significant opposition to challenge RISIEC’s actions, noting the “virtually no visible opposition in the state as we speak now.”
Despite the widespread opposition, some political parties are expressing readiness for the elections. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have reportedly begun their candidate nomination processes.
Chief Tony Okocha, the State APC Chairman, affirmed his party’s readiness to participate. “As you can see and witnessed, you did not hear people shouting and showing aversion because things are done properly,” Okocha stated.
He contrasted this with a previous attempt at elections that was “marred because things were not done properly, and that’s why some of us went to court.”
Okocha praised RISIEC, stating, “The Chairman and his team are not new to election management matters,” and expressed confidence in their ability to organize a “free, fair, peaceful, and credible local government election in Rivers State as proposed.”
In a surprising turn, RISIEC has since clarified that it has not released a fresh timetable for the August 30 local government elections. Godfrey Woke, the Commissioner in charge of Political Parties Affairs, Monitoring, and Security, stated in an interview that RISIEC is operating based on the existing timetable established by the former board of the commission.
Woke’s statement came in response to INEC’s advice regarding the 90-day notice requirement. He noted that nearly all registered political parties have collected expression of interest forms.
Prof. Chidi Halliday, RISIEC’s Commissioner for Administration and Legal Matters, corroborated this, affirming that the commission is adhering to all relevant laws in continuing the work of the dissolved sixth commission.
Halliday emphasized that RISIEC’s actions were legally grounded and ensure continuity from the previous commission’s efforts, maintaining a commitment to a transparent and lawful electoral process.