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By Oscar Okhifo
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has slammed the conduct of the Rivers State local government elections, declaring that the “occupation government” behind the exercise has no legitimacy under the law.
He urged opposition parties to reject the results, which gave the All Progressives Congress (APC) an overwhelming victory.
The polls, conducted on Saturday, August 30, 2025, under the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), produced a landslide for the APC, which won 20 of the 23 chairmanship seats, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured only three.
In a statement on Sunday, Atiku dismissed the process as illegitimate, saying it was organised by an “occupation government” that lacked the constitutional authority to oversee such an exercise.
“The local government election conducted by the occupation government in Rivers State is an awful absurdity and a travesty to the very notion of elective democracy,” the 2023 PDP presidential candidate said.
He urged opposition parties to reject the outcome, stressing that “the occupation government that conducted the exercise is extraneous to our laws, with absolutely no legitimacy to undertake such a crucial and sensitive assignment.”
Atiku further warned that Nigeria was drifting into a dangerous political trajectory under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“The attention of well-meaning Nigerians, the international community and partners of the country must be drawn to this dangerous curve that the Tinubu regime is taking our dear country,” he added.
The former vice president also expressed solidarity with the people of Rivers State, describing them as “victims of political brigandry carried out by a powerful cabal bent on overturning their democratic rights at all cost.”
The election was held amid the lingering political crisis in Rivers State, following the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the House of Assembly earlier this year by President Tinubu, and the appointment of Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (retd.) as the state’s sole administrator.
It was reported yesterday that both the “deposed” Governor and his supporters stayed away from the LG polls which many citizens and Civil Societies described as a charade. The Sole Administrator, Nyesom Wike and his loyals hailed the exercise as free and fair and the true reflection of the people of Rivers state.