PORT HARCOURT/Nigeria: Former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has commended Rivers people for boycotting the controversial local government election held across the state on Saturday, August 30, 2025.
The poll, conducted under a team reportedly appointed by Sole Administrator Ibok-Ette Ibas, whose appointment by the Presidency has been widely described as unconstitutional—was, according to Eze, aimed at installing loyalists of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, in Rivers’ 23 local councils.
In a statement made available to journalists on Sunday, Eze described the exercise as “political banditry” orchestrated by Wike against Governor Siminalayi Fubara. He said the widespread voter apathy across the state was an emphatic rejection of what he termed the FCT Minister’s “kleptocratic politics and desperate pursuit of power.”
Eze alleged that the process was marred by manipulation, noting that all 23 chairmanship candidates were Wike’s allies. “It is surprising to learn that result sheets for the entire polling units in the state were hijacked and kept in a private hotel in Port Harcourt, where figures were being distributed to give the sham a tincture of an election,” he claimed.
He also dismissed results announced by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) as “manufactured trash,” citing video footage from Emohua Local Government Area showing ad-hoc officials thumb-printing ballot papers while no voters were present. Despite this, he said, APC’s Chidi Lloyd was declared winner in Emohua with over 100,000 votes.
“For an uncontested election to be this manipulated clearly shows that Wike has never won any election in his political life. He thrives in electoral malpractices,” Eze said, recalling that the FCT Minister lost his polling unit to the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election.
The APC stalwart further condemned what he described as the infiltration of Rivers APC by those who once tormented its foundation members but are now being “rewarded” with alleged victories in the August 30 poll. He expressed confidence that the courts would nullify the exercise and restore order in the state’s political structure.
“This political banditry contravenes every recognized standard of civilized behaviour in developing democracies. I am certain the courts will, in due time, set aside the charade,” Eze stated.
While some believe the exercise was a rehearsal for 2027, Eze maintained that the rejection of the poll by Rivers people demonstrated collective resolve to “rescue the state from Tinubu and Wike” and ensure their political retirement.
