By Deborah Nnamdi
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RISIEC) has declared that the Local Government (LG) elections in the state will take place on August 9, 2025.
Justice Adolphus Enebeli (rtd), the chairman of the commission, made this announcement at a stakeholders’ meeting held in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
During the meeting, Enebeli also officially presented the election guidelines and explained that the election process was being initiated following the Supreme Court’s annulment of the October 5, 2024, LG elections.
He said that the political parties that would field candidates in the election must complete and submit an Expression of Interest Form from Monday, April 24, to May 12, 2025, to be eligible to participate.
He further said that the election campaign would commence on July 7, 2025, and end on August 7, 2025.
Enebeli said that interested candidates were required to pay the compulsory sum of N5,000 for councillorship positions, while N10,000 would be paid for chairman and vice chairmanship positions.
He said that the rulings of the Supreme Court must be obeyed by all Nigerians, including the electoral body.
According to him, we are unavoidably and painfully plunged into a restart, but as a responsible law-abiding statutory body, we must demonstrate our fidelity and obedience to the rule of law.
‘’This setback is our ineluctable phase right now; philosophically speaking, in the affairs of man and society in history, it says, and I quote:
‘’A setback is a setup for a comeback; do not let failure stop you; let it be the road you need to succeed.
‘’A comeback is always stronger than a setback, and every setback is an opportunity to learn and grow.
‘’The greater the challenge faced by man, the more triumphant he is,’’ he said.
Enebeli, however, assured the people of transparency in the election and requested the cooperation of stakeholders to ensure a successful election.
