The Rivers LG election timetable, announced by the newly reconstituted RISIEC, has been firmly rejected by the Civil Liberties Organisation.
On Monday, July 28, 2025, Dr. Michael Ekpai Odey released a revised timetable, rescheduling the elections for August 30, 2025.
This new timetable replaces one earlier issued by the constitutionally valid RISIEC under Hon. Justice Adolphus Enebeli for August 9.
However, CLO asserts that the new RISIEC board was unlawfully formed, therefore lacking legal authority to schedule elections.
The group describes the timetable as illegal, unconstitutional, and a flagrant misuse of public resources by the current administration.
Critically, the notice period for the elections violates Nigeria’s Electoral Act, which mandates a 90-day minimum timeframe.
Instead, RISIEC offered only 32 days’ notice, which CLO says falls grossly short of statutory compliance and transparency standards.
Additionally, the commission has failed to confirm whether it obtained the voters’ register from the Independent National Electoral Commission.
There is also no scheduled period for public verification or display of voter lists, which risks massive voter disenfranchisement.
This lack of transparency, according to CLO, opens the election process to manipulation and gross violations of voter rights.
CLO Calls for Suspension and Democratic Oversight
The CLO, therefore, demands immediate suspension of the proposed elections and calls for a legally compliant, transparent process instead.
It questions the rushed attempt by the present administration to conduct elections before democratic rule returns in September 2025.
Notably, this date marks the end of the six-month suspension imposed on the elected Governor and State House of Assembly.
CLO insists that any credible local government election must be conducted by the democratic institutions after they resume power.
The group warns that it will pursue every legal and democratic avenue to halt unconstitutional acts by the RISIEC board.
For Rivers State, this development adds further uncertainty to an already tense political climate as citizens await restored democracy.
