By Charles Pemu 
A coalition of prominent Rivers State indigenes, including former Governor Celestine Omehia and ex-PDP National Chairman Uche Secondus, has issued an urgent appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately stop the August 30 local government elections in the state, describing the planned polls as “a direct assault on democracy” and “a brazen violation of Nigeria’s Constitution.”
The group operating under the banner “Major Stakeholders” is demanding the lifting of the state of emergency declared in March and the reinstatement of suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Prof. Ngozi Odu, and the Rivers State House of Assembly led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule.
In their petition, the stakeholders warned that proceeding with the election under the current arrangement supervised by Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), appointed as Sole Administrator by the President would set a dangerous precedent for Nigeria’s democracy.
The petition bears the signatures of some of Rivers State’s most influential political and civic figures, including Atedo Peterside, Chief Abiye Sekibo, Senator Lee Maeba, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, Senator Andrew Uchendu, Tele Ikuru, Prince Fafaa Dan Princewill, Dagogo Jack, Randolph Iwo Brown, Dr. Austin Tam-George, Donu Kogbara, Dr. Sokonte Davies, Dr. Glory Emeh, George Feyii, Hon. Asita, Sam Agwor, and Ann-Kio Briggs.
The stakeholders argue that the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) currently in place is illegitimate, having been “constituted” by the sole administrator without the authority provided under Sections 2, 3, 5, and 12 of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission Law, 2018.
They insist that any election conducted under such an arrangement would be null and void, citing the commission’s failure to issue the mandatory 90-day notice required before any local government election, as set out in Section 20 of the RSIEC Law.
With the election date just weeks away, the group claims there has been no formal timetable, no call for nominations, and no transparent electoral process, likening the situation to the controversial 2024 local polls annulled by the Supreme Court over procedural lapses.
In their open letter titled “Rivers LG Election: A Serious Threat to Democracy and Repeated Violation of the Constitution Urgent Warning from Major Stakeholders”, the group described the planned poll as:
“An existential assault on our democracy, a calculated subversion of our federal system, and a dangerous invitation to political instability.”
They accused the Federal Government of “blatantly usurping state autonomy,” warning that the central imposition of a sole administrator to conduct local elections undermines the constitutional balance between Abuja and the states.
The stakeholders are urging President Tinubu, the National Assembly, the Nigerian judiciary, civil society organisations, the media, and the international community to act swiftly.
“Rivers State stands at a crossroads: surrender to impunity or uphold the constitution and the will of the people. The choice is ours, and the stakes could not be higher,” the letter concludes.
This version keeps the gravitas of the situation, makes the narrative flow more dramatically, and positions the petition as part of a larger constitutional and democratic crisis something both domestic and international observers would take seriously.