The Inter-Party Advisory Council of Nigeria (IPAC), the umbrella body of all registered political parties in Nigeria, has written to the Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, Dr. Micheal Odey, rejecting August 30, 2025, as the proposed date for the local government elections in Rivers State.

IPAC, in a letter signed by its national chairman, Dr. Yusuf Dantalle, and National Secretary, Maxwell Mgbudem, and copied to President Bola Tinubu, the Senate, the National House of Assembly, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Director of the Department of State Security, and the Inspector General of Police, expressed concern about the resolve of the RSIEC chairman to continue with what it described as an “unconstitutional” and ‘illegal’ exercise of conducting Council polls, thereby disregarding the nation’s constitutional democratic norms.

The letter, which was made available to The Guardian on Wednesday, emphasised that the process of conducting the Rivers State Council elections during a period of emergency rule in the State is to make a caricature of Nigeria’s constitutional democracy and its institutions.

While recalling that President Tinubu on 18 March 2025 proclaimed a State of Emergency in Rivers State, IPAC said the reconstituted RSEIC board lacks the legitimate authority to conduct any election in Rivers State, insisting that only the constitutionally recognised authority – the governor — has the power to appoint members of the State Electoral Commission, and such appointments must be confirmed by the State House of Assembly.

IPAC in the statement noted, “It is on the strength of the above and many more unconstitutional and illegal steps taken by the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete-Ibas, that IPAC as a body geared towards intrenching 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.”

“The Inter-Party Advisory Council of Nigeria (IPAC), arising from its General Assembly meeting, strongly wishes to state most unambiguously that we dissociate ourselves from this illegitimate exercise, which threatens our democratic norms and rule of law.”

IPAC has therefore directed all lovers of democracy in Rivers State, particularly all political parties, to refrain from participating in the proposed state council election scheduled for August 30, 2025.

IPAC added that it will explore other legitimate means to ventilate its grievances and concerns should RSIEC ignore and disregard its patriotic and reasonable approach towards calling it to order and restoring sanity in the state.

Similarly, the Chairman of Defence for Human Rights and Democracy, Mr. Clifford Solomon, has criticised RSIEC for receiving the names of candidates from political parties ahead of its proposed August 30 local government election.

Solomon criticised RSIEC for accepting the candidate lists without overseeing the party primaries, as mandated by the Electoral Act. He stated that no primary election took place on Saturday and accused the commission of receiving handpicked names.

He also argued that the chairmanship and councillorship candidates put forward by the APC were not party members.

He urged RSIEC to heed the concerns raised by the electorate in the interest of democracy.

Recall that RSIEC Commissioner in charge of Political Parties Affairs, Monitoring and Security, Godfrey Woke, had disclosed that all political parties in the state have submitted the names of candidates who emerged from Saturday’s primaries.

Meanwhile, a lecturer at the Department of Political Science, University of Port Harcourt, Dr. Obinna Nwodim, has warned RSIEC to strictly follow due process or risk squandering the state’s already strained resources.