‘It’s unconstitutional’ — IPAC asks political parties to boycott Rivers LG polls

• Inter-Party Advisory Council requests political parties boycott Rivers LGA elections, calling them illegal and unconstitutional under sole administrator rule
• IPAC Chairman Yusuf Dantalle argues only elected governors have constitutional power to conduct local government elections with state assemblies

The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has requested that political parties boycott the upcoming LGA elections in Rivers state.

The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) scheduled the LG elections in the south-south state on August 30.

Several stakeholders have opposed the planned elections, claiming that Ibok-Ete Ibas, the state’s sole administrator, lacks the authority to conduct LGA elections.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Yusuf Dantalle, IPAC national chairman, described the upcoming elections as a “exercise in futility and assault on the nation’s democracy”.

“It’s illegal, unconstitutional and a mockery of our emerging democracy. It’s unacceptable and should be rejected by all lovers of constitutional governance in Nigeria,” the statement reads.

Dantalle said the sole administrator has no constitutional mandate to conduct a democratic election because Nigeria is not under a military regime.

He noted that only an elected governor has the constitutional power to conduct an LG election in collaboration with the state house of assembly.

“The sole administrator cannot arrogate to himself powers in flagrant violation of the 1999 constitution, as amended,” the IPAC chairman said.

“The sole administrator is not an emperor with absolute power to rule as he pleases.

“Accordingly, IPAC directs all political parties not to participate in the charade and sham called local government election in Rivers State on Saturday, 30th August 2025.”

Dantalle criticised the political party chairpersons in Rivers backing the election, characterising them as “fake”.

“Gathering political hirelings who claimed to be chairmen of their political parties in Rivers State to endorse the conduct of the purported local government election smacks of desperation by the sole administrator,” he said.

“Fake state chairmen cannot give legitimacy to gross illegality, unconstitutionality and abuse of office.”

In a letter dated August 1 and addressed to President Bola Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house of representatives; Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); Kayode Egbetokun, the inspector-general of police (IGP); and Adeola Ajayi, director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS), IPAC said no LG election should hold in Rivers state until a democratic order is restored.

IPAC said it will “explore other legitimate means to ventilate our grievances and concerns” if its request is disregarded.