Power Struggle Intensifies: APC Rejects Fubara’s Local Government Coup In Rivers

Power Struggle Intensifies: APC Rejects Fubara’s Local Government Coup In Rivers

The political crisis in Rivers State shows no signs of abating, as recent local government elections conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) have only deepened existing tensions.

Despite opposition from loyalists of Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the elections proceeded under Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s directive, further aggravating the situation. Wike’s faction in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and a section of the All Progressives Congress (APC) boycotted the polls, citing a Federal High Court ruling that RSIEC failed to provide the required 90-day election notice.

Justice Peter Lifu’s ruling prevented security forces from assisting in the election, yet RSIEC pressed on. The election itself was marred by incidents of violence, including an attack on the APC secretariat in Port Harcourt and clashes in Obio/Akpor, Wike’s home community. Two people were injured in Ikwerre LGA following a clash over the enforcement of the court’s judgment.

Fubara, meanwhile, is consolidating his control over the state’s political structure, having removed Wike-backed local government chairmen earlier in the year and now securing 22 of the 23 LGA seats through his loyalists contesting under the Action People’s Party (APP).

However, the Rivers State APC has rejected the election results, claiming that no legitimate election took place, branding the results as “cooked-up.” They argue that RSIEC failed to follow proper procedures and are standing by the court’s ruling that barred the election.