On February 10, 2025, the Supreme Court of Nigeria will consider two cases brought by the All Progressives Congress (APC) contesting the validity of the Rivers State local government elections in 2024. Five additional cases pertaining to the political situation in the state are also planned for the same date. The effort to remove Governor Siminalayi Fubara by a faction loyal to previous Governor Nyesom Wike in October 2023 sparked a flurry of events, including defections and disagreements over the validity of legislative and administrative acts.
The October 5, 2024, local government elections held by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) were contentious. The APC sued RSIEC, claiming that it had violated tenure-extension statutes that the State House had passed. Citing jurisdictional concerns, the Court of Appeal reversed the Federal High Court’s first decision to bar RSIEC from holding the elections, which had been issued by Justice Peter Lifu. The Action People’s Party (APP), backed by supporters of Governor Fubara, won 22 of the 23 chairmanship seats in the elections that were held in spite of the issue.
Supreme Court ordered all parties to submit briefs before the hearing date.
Disappointed with the appellate court’s decision, the APC filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, hoping to have the Federal High Court’s decision upheld. The Supreme Court ordered all parties to submit briefs prior to the hearing date and merged four similar cases for convenience. Another case involving a cross-appeal by the Rivers State House of Assembly against the National Assembly will also be heard by the court. Nyesom Wike, Siminalayi Fubara, and Rotimi Amaechi are important personalities whose roles and relationships have a big impact on the political dynamics of Rivers State. From 2015 until 2023, Nyesom Wike was the governor of Rivers State.
He was well-known for his forceful leadership and significant impact on state matters throughout his time there. Siminalayi Fubara’s political rise was aided by Wike, who supported him to succeed him in the 2023 gubernatorial contest. Previously serving as Rivers State’s Accountant-General, Fubara was elected governor under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) flag. However, political friction inside the state resulted from tensions that developed between Wike and Fubara after the election. Wike’s previous conflict with Rotimi Amaechi, his predecessor and erstwhile political mentor, is reminiscent of this one.
Amaechi has refrained from openly taking sides in the current conflicts.
More so, Amaechi, who led Rivers State from 2007 to 2015, had a tense relationship with Wike, which led to a protracted and acrimonious conflict. Remarkably, Amaechi has refrained from openly taking sides in the current conflicts between Wike and Fubara, remaining remarkably silent throughout. In Rivers State, the local government elections are very important to the political climate of the area. The state’s political factions’ power and influence are measured by these elections. Politicians can consolidate power, carry out policies at the local level, and rally support for upcoming elections when they have control over local government bodies.
Often reflecting the political mood of the time, the outcome of these elections can either confirm or challenge the supremacy of prominent political figures. The Wike-Fubara split made the local government elections a major source of strife, with many factions vying for power in an effort to establish their political supremacy. Jurisdiction and adherence to electoral regulations are the primary points of disagreement in the court cases surrounding Rivers State’s municipal elections. Conflict arose mostly from conflicting judicial rulings about the conduct of the election.
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Orders that contradict one another highlight how complicated Nigerian state and federal courts’ jurisdictional authority is. The constitution’s primacy, local governments’ independence, and election procedures are among the legal precepts in question. In order to maintain continuity and defend the rule of law, such legal uncertainties require precise judicial interpretations. There are significant ramifications for regional administration and political stability from the Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling on the validity of the local government elections in Rivers State.