The suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, and his supporters were conspicuously absent on Saturday during election into the chairmanship and councillorship positions in the state.
Fubara was not seen in Opobo Local Government Area, where he hails from, though the election took place on a limited scale.
Sources told Sunday PUNCH that the governor was not present in the state.
Some notable supporters of the suspended governor such as the Chief of Staff to the Government House, Edison Ehie, the Secretary to the Government, Dr Tammy Danagogo, the sacked 23 local government chairmen, and others, did not also turn up for the election.
Members of the Simplified Movement, a socio-political organisation loyal to Fubara, were also not seen anywhere near the voting centres.
When electoral materials arrived at Fubara’s unit in Ward 5, Opobo in Opobo/Nkoro LGA around 11am, there were assurances that the embattled governor, who had recently mended fences with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesome Wike, his political godfather, would participate in the election.
However, till voting concluded in the area around 3:30pm, Fubara did not show up to exercise his constitutional duty.
As of the time of filing this report, it was gathered that the suspended governor, who is expected to be recalled to office on September 18, did not return to his Opobo hometown for the election.
A source said Fubara had travelled to London and did not return before the scheduled election.
On March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State following a protracted political crisis between Fubara and Wike, who had the majority of the state lawmakers on his side.
After proclaiming the emergency rule, Tinubu suspended Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for an initial period of six months.
He also appointed Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (retd.) as the sole administrator to oversee the affairs of the state.
Tinubu’s decision sparked outrage across the country, with legal practitioners, politicians, and civil society organisations condemning the act.
Wike and Fubara later reconciled and entered into an agreement, which also included a fresh conduct of the local government election earlier won by the latter’s loyalists.
APC dominates council poll
Prior to the council election, the final list of political parties and candidates cleared to contest the local government elections released by RSIEC included the PDP, the All Progressives Congress, Labour Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance, Zenith Party, Accord Party, African Action Congress, Action People’s Party, the Social Democratic Party, among others.
The list showed that the PDP fielded only three chairmanship candidates, while the APC presented 20 chairmanship candidates across the state’s 23 LGAs.
Wike’s political structure in the state, now known as the Renewed Hope Agenda, expressed satisfaction with the process, saying it was confident of victory.
It was learned that 20 of the seats were given to the APC, under the leadership of Chief Tony Okocha, while three of the seats were given to the PDP to produce chairmen.
A source specifically mentioned that the three seats for the PDP were Obio/Akpor, the LGA of the FCT Minister, Port Harcourt City, and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGAs.
Wike backs gov’s comeback
The Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, expressed confidence that Fubara would return to office at the end of the emergency rule on September 18, 2025.
Wike, who spoke shortly after casting his vote in Rumepirikom, Ward 9, Unit 007, Obio/Akpo LGA around 11am on Saturday, said the conditions were right for lifting the state of emergency since both state and local governments now had representation.
He said, “As far as we are concerned, this election is peaceful, people are trooping out, and at the end of the day, the election has been conducted successfully and peacefully.
“I do know that by September 18, the state of emergency will expire and the state assembly will come back to their job, and we will have a government at the grassroots level.
“The coast is clear for the state of emergency to be lifted, being that the state government has its representative and the local government has its representatives, so we are good to go.”
Wike also commended the turnout and conduct of the people in the council poll, saying it would restore democratic governance to the grassroots.
The minister, however, queried the non-usage of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System for the poll, although he described the exercise as credible.
He explained that voter participation varied across areas, noting that residential and rural communities recorded higher turnout compared to commercial centres.
Ibas hails peaceful conduct
Meanwhile, empty polling units, voter apathy, a lack of original result sheets and non-availability of BVAS marred the poll.
On the election day, Sunday PUNCH observed that as of 10am, electoral materials had yet to arrive at various voting centres.
This delay, it was gathered, was due to logistics challenges faced by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission in Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt City LGA, Emohua and others.
According to sources, there were also delays in the distribution of materials for the election at registration centres across the state, following issues of manpower and sorting of the materials.
While monitoring the election, our correspondents noted that there was a low turnout of voters for the election in city areas, while there was improved voting exercise in some rural areas, especially in the Gokana LGA of the state.
In Ibaa Community in Emuoha LGA, voters did not turn up, and some persons were seen thumb-printing many ballot papers for a particular political party.
The state Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibas (retd.), hailed the peaceful conduct of the local government elections.
Ibas, who personally monitored the exercise in parts of Emohua, Ahoada East and Port Harcourt, described it as a crucial step towards restoring democratic governance at the grassroots.
He expressed satisfaction with both the voter turnout and the comportment of election officials, saying the calm atmosphere reflected the people’s readiness to reclaim grassroots leadership.
“I am confident that at the end of the day, we will have a credible set of results that we will all be proud of as a state,” Ibas said.
Ibas emphasised that the successful conduct of the elections underscored Rivers people’s determination to elect leaders they can identify with at the grassroots.
Presidency, AG duck
Sunday PUNCH gathered that there were expectations from Rivers residents for Fubara to return after the council election.
Speaking with one of our correspondents, a ministerial aide said there was no reason for Fubara not to return.
He said, “The emergency rule will expire on September 18 and, from what I know and the conduct of the local government election, there is no reason to extend the emergency rule.”
“Wike’s interest is for democratic governance to be restored, and that is being done. He always wants what is right to be done. There is no personal sentiment or vendetta.”
When contacted for confirmation, one of the spokespersons for the President directed Sunday PUNCH to the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), saying he was the right person to comment on the matter.
Fagbemi’s spokesperson, Kamarudeen Ogundele, urged patience till the expiration of the emergency rule.
“The President declared the state of emergency based on the powers conferred on him, and in accordance with the Constitution. Wait until that time. There is no need for speculation,” he stated.
Fubara’s loyalists keep mum
Some of Fubara’s supporters declined to comment on the matter when contacted.
Sunday PUNCH noted that since the “peace deal” between Fubara and Wike, supporters of the governor have refused to talk about the possibility of his return.
While some of them refused to answer calls and did not reply to messages, others who picked up their calls declared that they did not want to talk about the matter.
Fubara’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Boniface Onyedi, said, “I can’t make any comment for now. Let’s wait till next week.”
But a former National Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Monday Ubani, stated that Fubara should be reinstated to office to complete his mandate following the conduct of the local government elections in the state.
Ubani noted that the embattled Rivers governor was duly elected and should be allowed to serve out his tenure.
He said, “I believe Fubara should be restored to power because he was elected by the people so that he can now go and complete his mandate after this local government poll.
“I believe he has had an understanding with Wike. That’s why they have all agreed on how things should work out and whether the local government elections should go ahead.”
Ubani stressed that allowing the governor to finish his tenure would be a victory for the electorate who entrusted him with their mandate.
