What Rivers LG poll tells about 2027

The suspended governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, and his political allies were absent during last Saturday’s local government elections held in the state. The results announced by the Chairman of Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), Michael Odey,  showed that the APC won the chairmanship positions in 20 of the 23 local government areas […]

The suspended governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, and his political allies were absent during last Saturday’s local government elections held in the state.

The results announced by the Chairman of Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), Michael Odey,  showed that the APC won the chairmanship positions in 20 of the 23 local government areas in the state, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won only 3.

Recall that President Bola Tinubu had in March, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the state House of Assembly for six months.

Tinubu explained that the decision was taken to restore stability in the state that had been witnessing political turmoil as a result of the feud between Fubara and his predecessor, who is the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and the state lawmakers.

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Consequently, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd) was sworn in as the Sole Administrator of Rivers State following the presidential declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers.

In June, the Senate confirmed the appointment of Michael Odey, from Cross River State, as Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), despite strong objections from some lawmakers and heated debate in the chambers during plenary.

 

Implication on 2027

A political analyst, Aminu Yakudima, told Daily Trust in a telephone interview last night that the implication of the LG poll on the Rivers political future is that the state will witness a change of guard in 2027.

He said the outcome shows that the APC will likely take over the state in the next governorship election.

Yakudima said, “The hand writing is very clear for everyone to see. The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has made it very clear for the APC to take over Rivers in 2027 because he has already consolidated his game for political manipulation in Rivers.

“He has taken over the entire space. He has one leg in PDP and one in APC. His influence in Rivers politics is something to write home about.

“In the 2027 elections, definitely, APC will take over Rivers, except if he withdraws his support for APC. But as far as he remains in the game, there is no way APC will not make waves in both Rivers and the FCT.”

Another political analyst, Jackson Lekan Ojo, said the outcome of the poll is not a good omen for democracy.

 

He argued that the FCT Minister, Wike, wants to prove to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that he has the capacity to deliver him in the state in 2027.

“There were no primaries, winners were appointed. The implication is that Wike wants to prove to Mr President that he can deliver the grassroots to the APC in 2027, “ he said.

But in his analysis, a former House of Representatives member, in the state, Bernard Mikko, told Daily Trust that the election does not reflect  a true picture of what will transpire in 2027.

He said winning the LG election doesn’t  necessarily mean that the APC would take over Rivers in the governorship election, but argued that while he is happy that the election was won by his party the APC, “it does not reflect the true aspirations of the people.”

Mikko, a former governorship aspirant on the platform of the PDP and later the APC, said, “In Lagos, APC won the LG poll, but lost the 2023 presidential election in the state.

“The implication of the Rivers LG poll is that while I am happy that my party, the APC won the poll, philosophically, it doesn’t match the aspirations of the actual electorate. There was huge voter apathy in the election,” he said.

 

Fubara’s men boycott polls

However, some close allies of Fubara, who were contacted by our correspondent to speak on the outcome of the local government elections said there was no such exercise in the state.

Daily Trust reports that Fubara was not seen in Opobo Local Government Area, where he was supposed to cast his vote.  It was gathered that Fubara had travelled out of the state before the elections.

Also, some of his notable supporters including; the Chief of Staff to the Government House, Edison Ehie; Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Tammy Danagogo; the sacked 23 local government chairmen and others, did not turn up for the election in their various units.

Similarly, members of the Simplified Movement, a socio-political organisation loyal to Fubara, were not seen anywhere near the voting centres.

When electoral materials arrived at Fubara’s unit in Ward 5, Opobo in Opobo/Nkoro LGA around 11am, there were high expectations that the embattled governor, who reportedly mended fences with his predecessor, Wike, would participate in the election.

However, till voting was concluded by 3.30pm, Fubara did not show up to exercise his franchise.

Meanwhile, the Special Assistant to Fubara on Electronic Media, Omatsogunwa Jerry, told Daily Trust that he was not aware of the election, saying the people of the state were more interested in welcoming Fubara back to the seat of power, not the LG polls, as the emergency rule elapses on September 18.

When asked if the governor would work with the elected chairmen and councillors when he resumes, he said, “When we get to the bridge, we will cross.”

 

It a travesty of democracy  – Atiku

Reacting, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar described the outcome of the election as “absurdity and a travesty to the very notion of elective democracy.”

Atiku also called on well-meaning Nigerians, the international community and partners of Nigeria to rise against the “dangerous curve that the President Bola Tinubu regime is taking our dear country.”

Atiku in a statement posted on his social media page said, “The local government election conducted by the occupation government in Rivers State is an awful absurdity and a travesty to the very notion of elective democracy.

“By the shameful and shambolic manner in which the occupation government went ahead to conduct local government elections in Rivers State, it is clear that the ruling APC is not leaving anyone in doubt that it is prepared to throw caution to the wind in order to achieve an inordinate political advantage.”

Atiku, a former presidential candidate also called on all opposition parties in Rivers State to reject the local government election on the “premise that the occupation government that conducted the exercise is extraneous to our laws, with absolutely no legitimacy to undertake such a crucial and sensitive assignment.”

Atiku further said, “In the same breath, I wish to share my unflinching solidarity with the good people of Rivers State, who are currently victims of political brigandry to a power cabal which is bent on overturning their democratic rights at all cost.”