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Halt LG Election, Reinstate Fubara First, Rivers Elders Tell Tinubu.
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They demand reinstatement of suspended Governor Fubara and lawmakers.
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Stakeholders warn election breaches constitution and threatens democracy.
Prominent Rivers State indigenes have urged President Bola Tinubu to suspend the planned local government elections in the state and reinstate suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara along with members of the state House of Assembly.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has scheduled the polls for August 30, but the stakeholders, under the banner “Major Stakeholders,” warned that the exercise poses a grave threat to democracy.
They also called for the lifting of the state of emergency imposed on March 18, 2025, when Tinubu suspended Fubara, Deputy Governor Prof Ngozi Odu, and the assembly, replacing them with Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.) as sole administrator.
Signatories to the petition include former Governor Celestine Omehia, ex-PDP National Chairman Uche Secondus, Atedo Peterside, Abiye Sekibo, Senator Lee Maeba, Dakuku Peterside, Senator Andrew Uchendu, and Tele Ikuru, among others.
In their open letter titled “Rivers LG election: A Serious Threat To Democracy and Repeated Violation of The Constitution — Urgent Warning From Major Stakeholders,” they argued that the RSIEC, inaugurated by the sole administrator, is illegitimate and in breach of constitutional provisions.
They cited violations of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission Law, 2018, including failure to give the mandatory 90-day notice before elections, absence of formal candidate nomination processes, and a rushed timetable reminiscent of the 2024 polls annulled by the Supreme Court.
According to them, the move is “an existential assault on democracy” and “a deliberate attack on due process.” They appealed to Tinubu, the National Assembly, judiciary, civil society, media, and the international community to intervene to protect constitutional governance.
“Rivers State stands at a crossroads: surrender to impunity or uphold the constitution and the will of the people,” the statement concluded.
