Rivers LG Polls Under Sole Administrator Are Illegal – Victor Giwa

Victor Giwa, National Coordinator of Advocates for People’s Rights and Justice, has described the planned local government elections in Rivers State as illegal, criticizing the move by the state’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Étè Ibas (retd.).

Speaking during an interview on Arise News, Giwa argued that the Sole Administrator lacks the constitutional authority to appoint the Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), let alone oversee an election.

“I am shocked to learn that the Rivers State Sole Administrator appointed the Chairman of the Electoral Commission and plans to conduct elections on August 30th,” Giwa said. “He has no legal authority to do so, as he is not the Governor of the State.”

He explained that the appointment of a sole administrator is intended solely to maintain peace and prevent the breakdown of law and order—not to exercise executive powers like appointing electoral officials or conducting elections.

Quoting the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission Law of 2018, Giwa stated that the Commission must comprise seven members, including a chairman, all of whom are to be appointed by the state governor and confirmed by the State House of Assembly.

“The sole administrator is not an elected governor,” Giwa emphasized. “Furthermore, there is no functional House of Assembly at the moment to screen and confirm the appointments made.”

He concluded that any local government election conducted under the authority of the Sole Administrator would be “illegal, unconstitutional, null, and void.”