More Troubles For Gov Fubara As Two RSIEC Commissioners Resign
The planned Rivers State Local Councils election scheduled for August 9 this year may suffer some setbacks as two commissioners in the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) have resigned their appointments with the commission.
Those who resigned, citing ongoing challenges within the commission and the recent Supreme Court ruling that nullified the local government elections held on October 5, 2024 include Prof Simeon Emenike Weli, Commissioner 1 incharge of Political Parties/Monitoring and Dr Nyebuchi Nnah, Commissioner incharge of Budget/Research and Statistics.
Although, they didn’t mention the ongoing challenges within the commission in their letters of resignations, it would not be unconnected with the summons from the Amaewhule led Assembly which extended the ultimatum given to the Commission’s Chairman, Justice Adolphus Enebeli (Rtd ) and his commissioners to appear before the hallowed Assembly from 48 hours to 72 hours, expiring on Monday, March 10.
The state lawmakers also postponed their planned recess billed to have begun last Friday to be able to attend to the RSIEC officials on Monday. Meanwhile, Thescale news gathered that the officials have approached a High court in the state capital to quash the Assembly’s invitation.
We could not, as at press time contact the two resigned commissioners for their comments nor the Commission’s headquarters to confirm if their resignation letters have been accepted or not because it is a weekend.
We couldn’t also contact the governor’s spokesman, Mr Nelson Chukwudi nor the state Information Commissioner, Joe Johnson to know the implications of their resignations on the planned local government election in the state and if the governor is considering replacing them immediately.
But one thing is certain, there is a provision in the state electoral law mandating a full composition of the Commission’s Board of commissioners before the conduct of any council elections in the state.
For now, tongues in the state have started wagging that their resignations is the handiwork of the FCT Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike because the two ex commissioners are his Ikwerre kinsmen.
If however, that is true, then it signals more troubles for Gov Fubara because it would ignite more resignations from other Ikwerre sons and daughters serving in the Gov Fubara government in the coming days, polarising the political crisis in the state into an ethnic one – between the Ijaws and non Ijaws in the state.
The Supreme Court had recently annulled the October 5, 2024 local councils election, ruling that they did not comply with electoral guidelines. In response, RSIEC announced a fresh local government election scheduled for August 9, 2025.
Governor Fubara remains locked in a political struggle with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, over control of political structures in the state.
