The Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), has appealed to residents of the state to maintain peace and order as they participate in today’s local government elections.
Ibas made this call during a meeting with organised labour leaders and Local Government Administrators at the Government House in Port Harcourt, where he underscored the need for calm and responsibility from citizens during the polls.
Residents across the 23 local government areas are heading to the polls today to elect their council representatives. The exercise is taking place in 6,866 polling units across the state.
This election comes six months and two days after the Supreme Court nullified the local government election earlier held on October 5, 2024, by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
Ibas’ message follows rising tension in the state after some prominent indigenes urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene and stop the elections from going ahead. In fact, five Rivers indigenes had already filed a lawsuit against the federal government, the state administrator, and the state electoral body over the planned conduct of the polls.
Despite these concerns, Ibas gave assurances that everything was in place to ensure a smooth and secure process. Speaking on Friday, he said, “All necessary arrangements have been made to ensure a safe and peaceful election,” and further encouraged residents to “please go out tomorrow (today) and exercise your civic responsibility without fear or intimidation.”
He reiterated his administration’s commitment to transparency, welfare of workers, and the successful conclusion of the staff verification exercise currently underway. He noted that the timing of the exercise was deliberate, as it highlighted the strong connection between accountable governance and efficient grassroots administration.
According to him, “Tomorrow’s elections are an important step towards restoring democratic governance at the grassroots. But leaders can only be held accountable when there is clarity on the human and material resources available to them.”
The administrator explained that the ongoing staff verification and biometric enrolment process was designed to strengthen transparency and enhance efficiency within both the state and local government workforce.
Providing an update, he disclosed results from the exercise so far, stating that “37,703 state staff verified, against a previous figure of over 43,000. 19,186 state pensioners verified, compared to over 25,500. 2,004 local government pensioners verified out of over 2,600. 8,000 local government staff verified across seven LGAs, including Obio/Akpor, Bonny, Etche, and Degema.”
Ibas further announced that September 4, 2025, has been set as the deadline for the completion of the verification of all local government staff, assuring that every available state resource would be deployed to meet this target. He stressed that the verification exercise was necessary and would not be compromised.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of RSIEC, Michael Odey, explained that preparations for the polls began with a structured plan that was carefully integrated into the timetable and election timeline. He said the commission had studied the terrain across various LGAs, both riverine and upland, to better prepare for challenges associated with the election.
Odey revealed that the commission had started dispatching non-sensitive election materials to LGAs on Thursday, while sensitive materials were scheduled to be moved under security escort on Friday. He also assured that Adhoc staff had been fully trained and were ready to deliver an election that would be free, fair, transparent, and credible.
During a joint meeting with security chiefs, the State Commissioner of Police reaffirmed the command’s dedication to ensuring the safety of all residents during the electoral process. He said, “These operations reflect a broader strategy to dismantle criminal networks and ensure public confidence in law enforcement agencies, especially as it concerns the upcoming chairmanship/councillorship election.”
What you should know
Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), the current Administrator of Rivers State, is overseeing the state’s transition period and is focused on grassroots governance.
His leadership has placed emphasis on transparency, particularly through the staff verification and biometric enrolment exercise, which aims to ensure accurate workforce and pension data.
With the Rivers local government elections holding after the Supreme Court’s nullification of the previous polls, his role has been to guarantee peace, security, and order during the process.
His stance demonstrates a drive to restore democratic structures while strengthening public trust in governance and institutional accountability.
