From Tony John, Port Harcourt
The Inter-Party Advisory Council of Nigeria (IPAC) has declared rejection of the August 30, 2025 Local Government Area elections announced by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
IPAC stated its rejection of the polls in a letter addressed to the Chairman of RSIEC signed by Yusuf Dantalle, national chairman and Maxwell Mgbudem, national secretary.
The council copied the letter to President Bola Tinubu, senate president, speaker, House of Representatives, chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Director General, Department of State Security (DSS) and Inspector-General of Police (IGP).
IPAC said that as the umbrella body of all registered political parties in Nigeria with the superior objective to consolidate, strengthen and deepen democracy in country, it is in pursuit of the shared objective that it wrote to RSIEC concerning the “illegality and unconstitutionality of the proposed Rivers State Council (local government area and councillorship) elections scheduled to hold on the 30th of August, 2025.”
According to the group, the process of conducting the Rivers State council elections during the period of emergency rule in the state is to make a caricature of Nigeria’s constitutional democracy and its institutions.
It argued that the Rivers State sole administrator in a state of emergency lacks the constitutional right to conduct a democratic election.
“Sir, it is a common knowledge that His Excellency, President Ahmed Bola Tinubu GCFR. on 18th March, 2025, while proclaiming a State of Emergency in Rivers State accentuated amongst others issues bordering on security and constitutional breaches and suspended all democratically elected institutions in the State, allowing only the judiciary as the only democratic institution to function.
“There is no gain-saying that the state of emergency was basically declared to contain the persistent political crises and restore peace and order in Rivers State, which is the paramount responsibility of the Sole Administrator and not go ahead with conducting democratic elections, which in itself could brew further political crises.
“We herein unequivocally express our utmost dismay and concern on your resolve to continue on the part of illegal and unconstitutional exercise with total disregard to Nigeria’s constitutional democratic norms.
“It is imperative to note that your commission as presently constituted lacks the legitimate authority to conduct any election in Rivers State as the only constitutionally recognized authority to appoint members of the State Electoral Commission is the governor and confirmed by the State House of Assembly all being democratically elected institutions.
“It is on the strength of the above and many more unconstitutional and illegal steps taken by the sole administrator that IPAC, as a body geared towards entrenching deep rooted democratic norms in our society, do vehemently condemn in its entirety the illegal process of conducting Council Elections in Rivers State without at first lifting and restoring democratic institutions in the State.”
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