A legal practitioner, Chetam Nwala, has criticised the upcoming local government election in Rivers State, scheduled for Saturday, August 30, 2025, stating it does not serve the best interests of the people in the oil-rich Niger Delta state.
Speaking on a live TV programme on Friday, he expressed concerns that the election lacks public support, potentially leading to low participation.
Nwala argued that a boycott may not halt the election, as the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission could proceed regardless, but emphasised that this does not negate the fact that the poll undermines the interests of Rivers State residents.
He called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and restore democratic principles in the state.
Nwala said, though a boycott might not stop the poll from holding, as the state’s electoral commission might go ahead with the process, it still does not rule out the fact that the election is not in the best interest of the people of the state.
Mid-March 2025, in the height of the political crisis in Rivers State, Tinubu suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara for six months and appointed a sole administrator, Ibok Ekwe Ibas.
The decision of the president was criticised by many who felt it was in favour of Fubara’s estranged former godfather and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
In June, Fubara, Wike, and the political actors in Rivers State met with Tinubu in Abuja and resolved the political conflict between the camps. One of the points agreed was said to be the conduct of the local government election, which the FCT minister and Fubara’s predecessor has an interest in.
During the interview, Nwala, a lawyer, said the agreement reached between Fubara and Wike on the local government election was not in the interest of the people.
He also said even if Fubara is reinstated as Rivers State governor, he cannot clear out the destruction of democratic structures that has happened in the state.
“We are not fighting for Fubara at all; we are fighting for the soul of Rivers State and demanding that what is right should be done.
“Whether the governor has had an agreement with the FCT Minister to carry out what they are doing currently, what we are saying is that it is not our concern right now. But the things happening in Rivers State are wrong and a defecation on our constitution.
“I am not here to push the influence of Fubara. Of course, I’m less concerned about whether he is the Governor or in the House of Representatives, but restore the democratic system to Rivers State.
“Democracy should be seen and done in Rivers State, and not the protection of individual influence, whether the influence of the FCT minister or the governor,” he said.
