Samuel Omang
Prominent opposition leaders, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), have strongly criticised the conduct and outcome of the Rivers State Local Government elections held on Saturday, which saw the All Progressives Congress (APC) claim a landslide victory.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) had on Sunday announced that the APC won 20 out of 23 local government areas, while the PDP managed to secure only three. In a stunning upset, Governor Siminalayi Fubara lost his Opobo-Nkoro Local Government Area to the APC.
Reacting in separate statements, Atiku and Obi described the exercise as a mockery of democracy, alleging that the process was marred by intimidation, irregularities, and lack of credibility.
Atiku, a former Vice President and the PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate, said the results reflected a dangerous trend in Nigeria’s electoral system where “state institutions are deployed to undermine the will of the people.” He urged democratic institutions, civil society, and the international community to hold the RSIEC accountable.
Similarly, Obi, who was Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, condemned what he called a “stage-managed outcome” designed to weaken the opposition and entrench APC dominance in Rivers. He warned that such practices erode public trust in governance and could ignite political instability ahead of the 2027 elections.
Both leaders called for a comprehensive reform of Nigeria’s electoral commissions at the state level to ensure independence and fairness, arguing that state-controlled electoral bodies have become tools for political manipulation.
Observers of the election had earlier noted the heavy security presence across Rivers communities. While some monitoring groups praised the relative calm during voting, others raised concerns about voter suppression and bias in result collation.
The Rivers LG poll is seen as a crucial test of strength for the state’s political blocs, particularly in light of the ongoing rift between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. Analysts say the APC’s sweeping victory signals a significant shift in Rivers politics and could reshape alliances ahead of the next general elections.