By the very last day of August, 31, 2025, Cross Rivers State-born Michael Odey, chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), performed what many saw as a historic duty of announcing a historic result in the local council system in Nigeria.
Odey, himself a piece of history for being the first non-indigene to head an electoral body in any state for local council elections, declared that an opposition party had just swept the chairmanship seats in an election. He also declared the election as total peaceful, free and fair.
The circimstances that brought Odey to the seat to perform that role are legion and may take a bood to explain, other than that Rivers State is in a state of emergency and that Ibok Ete Ibas, the sole administrator, a retired vice admiral appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is from his state (Cross River).
Ibas, the sole administrator, reeatedly told the world that his mission was to stabilize Rivers State from the earthquaking events occasioned by the volatility of the political dispute between the state governor, Sim Fubara, and his erstwhile godfather and former governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, who is FCT Minister and a caucus member of the ruling party despite still staying put in the federal opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The dispute began with a sudden attempt in the Rivers State House of Assembly in October 2023 (when the governor was barely five months in office) by 27 of the 32 members to impeach the governor, Sim Fubara. It was at that point the people of the state learnt that Fubara was allegedly going through stuff with his godfather over friction from control of the resources of the state and political structure. The governor’s camp was to cry on his behalf that commissioners were handed to him; heads of parastatals were handed to him; lawmakers were handed to him; and LGA bosses were handed to him, and that those lords were directing him on what to.
Fubara was said to have wanted to resign but was allegedly encouraged not to. Thus, he resolved to fight his way through. His fightback led to the destruction of the Rivers State House of Assembly building, faction in the House, war with the LGA bosses whose tenure was coming to an end but who demanded for elongation and got it through the lawmakers who like the LGA bosses were loyal to Wike; and many more disturbances.
It was at this point that the ternure of the LGA bosses expired and Fubara conducted an election with the RSIEC but the APC in the state led by Tony Okocha which was the war centre backed by Wike rejected the effort but went to court. In February 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that the election Fubara conducted was null and void. It also ruled that the budget Fubara was implementing was illegal.
President Tinubu who was openly hailed by the Rivers APC and later the Wike section of the PDP declared a state of emergency and suspended the governor and the lawmakers that were not performing any function for over one year. The president appointed Ibas.
The APC hailed the declaration whole the Fubara side of the PDP and the state became moody, and rejected it. The nation waited to see if the state of emergency was a neutral action or an attempt to remove Fubara out of the way for Wike to recapture the structure of the state.
What followed were series of actions that were welcomed by Wike and the APC plus the section of the PDP loyal to Wike (now called PDAPC). Ibas suspened the leadership of the public service, washed away heads of personnel of LGAs that were acting, and removed the commissioners. These were seen to be the backbone of Fubara. In their place, people believed to be loyal to Wike began to be appointed to replace them. Evience was in the size of hailing those appointed persons were getting from the APC.
Read also: Serial Loser: APC hits back at Atiku over Rivers LG election claims
Now, Ibas went to his state and picked chairman of RSIEC to install the LGA structure. The Fubara camp cried out but nothing happened.
What happened next was a strange reconciliation between Fubara and Wike and an endorsement by the Presidency which left Fubara looking like a hypnotized person. He now sees nothing, hears nothing, and does nothing. It is even Wike and some of his men that removed his teeth that are defending some of the time. Fubara called his camp and told them to go home and embrace peace, and that he chose to pay the price. Sobs took place but supporters went home. That brought about a big peace in the state, though ‘naughty persons’ chose to call it peace of a graveyard.
With Fubara out of the way, the LGA election was smooth to sail. Many said only those persosn loyal to Wike from either the APC or PDP in the collabo called PDAPC shared the slots and went to pick forms to contest an election whose outcome many said they knew ahead.
On the election day, the state looked calm. There were no need for thugs or guns beause only one camp was doing their business, many said. In each polluting station, people from both parties frolicked and voted for the chosen candidate. In another LGA, they would do same.
Many journalists reported this observation and Businessday was one of them. When the result was announced by Odey, BusinessDay reported thus: “True to BDay prediction, APC wins 20 LGs, PDP 3, in Rivers council polls, as state eyes end to emergency rule.”
It went on: “Now, the Rivers State chapter of the APC has won chairmanship positions of 20 local government areas, leaving 3 for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in a local government council elections marked by voter apathy.
“Odey, chairman of the RSIEC, in results declared on August 31, 2025, at the commission’s headquarters, showed APC showing strength in an election contested by 17 political parties that included PDP, Labour Party (LP), National Rescue Movement (NRM) and others.
The People’s Democratic Party won Obio/Akpor (Nyesom Wike, FCT minister’s home LGA), Port Harcourt City and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGAs, through Gift Onyinye Worlu, Allwell Ihunda and Chukwu Shedrack Ogbogu respectively.
The three LGAs are said to be politically and economically stronger than most in the state.
Analysts believe that the marriage of political parties is between the APC and PDP, which has given birth to a concept referred to ‘PDAPC.’ They said, stretched further, the marriage naturally resulted in the “sharing of chairmanship and councillorship positions between the APC and PDP.”
Before the election, BusinessDay had reported that over 50 candidates of various political parties in Rivers State already cleared by the electoral body have withdrawn from the fast approaching elections on Saturday for candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The action seemed to reveal the reason for the endless nocturnal meetings held around the country to bring to an end the political wars between Gov Sim Fubara and his erstwhile godfather, Nyesom Wike, now FCT Minister.
The APC in Rivers State led by Okocha announced the crossover of the over 50 candidates already cleared by RSIEC for the 30th August 2025 local government elections from other political parties.
Okocha said the candidates ‘kowtowed’ to the fire power of the APC Rivers State, saying the candidates visited them at their State Secretariat allegedly to announce their withdrawal from the race. “They came under the aegis of “Coalition of All Party Candidates.”
The outcome was that the result was known ahead by most journalists and political activists. When the result came, Okocha himself admitted that there a collaboration which he called the Rainbow Coalition, saying it was going to decide the state and 2027. He confirmed the party would now work with Fubara who may have earned the support with silence.
Hidden meaning:
Most observers have said that the APC victory is final evidence that Wike has collected his structure back. Fubara can sit in the Brick House till when it is seen as okay. The next is said to be as Okocha said, that the governorship election and all other elections in Rivers State would follow the Rainbow Coalition way where the power bloc would determine things and voting would simply follow.
Okocha has already promised they would double the figure in 2027 for Tinubu. This may be so, expect something goes wrong or a new power emerges from any quarters. With Fubara now never to hobnob with the likes of Chubuike Amaechi and all the opponents of Wike, the FCT minister now seems able to see the political field clearly in case any bush animal would want to cry at night to disturb the new structure. Many say the 23 chairmen are fingers of one man, no matter the party. The rainbow must thus be at work.
