A fresh political row is brewing in Rivers State following the announcement of August 30 for the local government elections.

Several reactions have continued to trail the timetable. The Rivers State Branch of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has threatened to take all necessary legal and democratic steps to halt the planned polls.

While the CLO rejected the announced timetable for the polls by the reconstituted Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RISIEC), led by Dr. Michael Ekpai Odey, other political observers alleged that the election is an outlet to justify large spending by the State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete-Ibas.

On Monday, 28 July 2025, Dr. Odey announced a new election timetable, setting the elections for Saturday, 30 August 2025. This schedule replaces an earlier one issued by RISIEC under Hon. Justice Adolphus Enebeli, which had planned the elections for 9 August 2025.

Meanwhile, the Tony Okocha-led All Progressives Congress (APC) has insisted that there is no factional APC in the state, as he is the only and authentic chairman. He has also expressed the party’s readiness for the election, but the Emeka Bekee-led faction of APC described the election and APC primaries on Saturday as a ‘joke’.

The spokesman of Okocha-led APC, Chibuike Ikenga, said the Bekee faction had already left the party long ago and no longer exists, but the spokesman of the Bekee-led group, Darlington Nwauju, questioned why Okocha’s team is still in three different Court of Appeal cases challenging the court judgement that recognised Bekee as APC Chairman.

Recall that APC’s national Executives in December 2024, after its state party’s congress that produced Okocha and other ex-co, recognised him (Okocha) as the state party’s chairman.

But Nwauju dismissed that, saying they are deceiving the public with lies. He further alleged that the majority of the members in the present RSIEC are card-carrying members of the People’s Democratic Party, stating that such people have no moral ground to conduct elections for all political parties in the state.

He stated, “In June this year, INEC made a policy statement via press release that they are unable to conduct elections in Khana 2 constituency following the death of its representative, citing the state of emergency.

“The RSIEC and others rely on data from INEC to conduct elections, so if INEC cannot conduct elections, how can RSIEC be thinking of conducting elections in 23 LGAs? The exercise will not stand the test of time; it’s an opportunity to line up their pockets.’

Similarly, the CLO, in a statement on Thursday by its spokesman, Emmanuel Obe, maintained that the new RSIEC board remains unconstitutional and, as such, lacks the legitimacy to conduct or reschedule elections.

“In addition to the illegality of the commission’s composition, the revised timetable fails to comply with statutory provisions requiring a minimum of 90 days’ notice before election day as provided for in Section Sections 9(6), 19 and 94 of the Electoral Act. The notice given—only 32 days—is grossly inadequate and violates the law.

“Furthermore, the timetable does not include provisions for the display and verification of the voters’ register, nor has RISIEC confirmed receipt of the register from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This omission raises serious concerns about transparency and voter eligibility, opening the door to widespread manipulation and voter disenfranchisement,” the CLO said.

The group therefore demanded the immediate suspension of the proposed elections and timetable, stating that a credible and constitutionally compliant process must be established for conducting local government elections in Rivers State.

“We question the urgency behind the attempt by the current undemocratic administration to rush these elections before the anticipated return to democratic governance in September 2025—when the six-month suspension of the Governor and State House of Assembly ends,” the group said.

They demanded that a reinstated democratic institutions should be allowed to oversee and conduct the elections lawfully.