Residents in the 23 local government areas of Rivers State will on Saturday cast their votes in the council election scheduled to be held across 6,866 polling units.

The elections are coming six months and two days after the Supreme Court nullified the local government election conducted on October 5, 2024, by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).

The elections will be conducted in the 319 wards of the state, which houses major oil assets and is considered by many as the economic hub of the South-South region.

The elections are also of interest to the major political actors as the outcome could determine how the pendulum will swing in the 2027 governorship election.

Amid concerns by some residents about the exercise, the RSIEC on Friday urged Rivers people to come out in their numbers and peacefully exercise their civic duty of voting in the elections.

Speaking during a pre-election broadcast ahead of the election, the Chairman of the RSIEC, Michael Odey, advised eligible voters to conduct themselves in line with electoral guidelines.

He said that with police support, adequate security had been put in place to protect lives and property.

The RSIEC chairman also assured the voters of the prompt arrival of voting materials to the various polling units, including the rural and riverine communities.

In an earlier joint media chat with the police, Odey had clarified that the restriction of movement would start from 12 am to 6 pm on Saturday.

Show Of Force

Meanwhile, security agencies staged a show of force on Friday to reassure residents of their safety in the state.

The exercise took off from the Rivers State Police Command Headquarters, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt.

It featured a convoy of patrol vehicles from the Nigerian Police Force, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and other allied agencies.

The joint team moved through major streets in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor local government areas, displaying operational readiness to maintain peace and order before, during, and after the polls.

Earlier in the week, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, assured residents of adequate security arrangements for the elections.

Adepoju stated that the deployment of personnel and logistics was aimed at guaranteeing a free and credible exercise.

Emergency Rule

Rivers is currently under emergency rule led by a sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retired), who was sworn in by President Bola Tinubu on March 19, 2025.

This followed the suspension of Sim Fubara as governor after a power play between him and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, resulted in a political crisis.

Also suspended were Fubara’s deputy, Ngozi Odu, and the Rivers State House of Assembly members.

However, Fubara and Wike later reconciled their difference after President Tinubu intervened.

Wike hails from the Obior-Akpor LGA, while a former minister of transport and member of the opposition coalition, Rotimi Amaechi, hails from Ikwerre.

Observers Kick Against Poll

However, some observers have faulted the decision of the government to conduct an election through a state electoral commission led by an appointee of the sole administrator.

A legal practitioner, Chetam Nwala, said the elections were not in the best interest of the people of Rivers and urged Tinubu to restore democracy in the oil-rich Niger Delta state.

“The election in Rivers State is not in the best interest of Rivers people, and that is why people may not participate in the election,” he said on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily programme on Friday.

Similarly, the Chief Executive Officer of TAF Africa, Jake Epelle, faulted the emergence of All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates for the polls, describing it as a deliberate attempt to mislead the people of the state.

“The mixture of PDP and APC candidates is like a concoction that is going to be served to the innocent people of Rivers State.

“The mixture of the PDP people is just to cover their tracks, so don’t trust them. Everything they are trying to do is to make it look good. You can’t make a bad apple look good. It’s not going to happen,” Epelle said during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on August 7.

In the Supreme Court judgment that nullified the October 5, 2024 LG polls, the court declared the election invalid for grossly violating the Electoral Act.

Reading the judgement, Justice Jamilu Tukur, said the action of the RSIEC was declared void for lack of substantial compliance with the Electoral Act and guidelines, as the electoral body continued voter registration even after announcing an election date.

The court held that processes leading to the conduct of a local government election were abridged in clear violation of Section 150 of the Electoral Act.

The Supreme Court, in another judgment, barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Accountant General of the Federation, and other agencies from releasing funds to the government of Rivers State until it purged itself of what the court described as flagrant disobedience to court orders. (Channels TV)