Rivers: Group recommends RSIEC’s LG election approach as national model

…. declares election free, fair and credible

By Vivian Okejeme Abuja

The Centre for Credible Leadership and Citizens Awareness (CCLCA), has recommended adoption of exemplary approach by the River State Independence Electoral Commission (RSIEC) in just concluded local government area election as a national model for effective and credible electoral management in Nigeria.

The coalition of RSIEC accredited observer organizations, recorded that the August 30, 2025, LGAs actually held across 6, 866 Polling Units, the 319 Electoral Wards, and the 23 Local Government Councils in Rivers State.

They, therefore, submitted that the pre and post election exercises were transparent, free, fair, and credible and consistent with the extant laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Dr. Nwambu Gabriel Chibuzor, commended the
RSIEC Chairman, Dr. Michael Odey and his commissioners for achieving the milestone within the stipulated period what ordinarily would take the nation’s electoral management body at least a year to prepare for.

According to Dr Nwambu, this is the first time in the history of Nigeria an election of such magnitude is achieved within a short space of time, adding that Dr. Odey and his team demonstrated an unprecedented level of professionalism, competence, and commitment to the democratic process.

Furthermore, the CSO reported that a landmark observation in the exercise was the complete absence of electoral malpractices. “There was no thuggery, no ballot box snatching, and no vote buying. This is the first time to record these observations at least in the recent past in Nigeria.”

Moreover, they confirmed that the Management of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission has paid all the ad-hoc staff who participated either as Presiding officers, Assistant Presiding Officers or Poll Clerks just one week after the election with Port Harcourt City Local Government being the last batch to be paid.

Concluding, the group maintained that the outcome of the election, where the ruling PDP secured 3 chairmanship seats and the opposition APC won 20, is a resounding testament to the transparency and fairness of the process. It is a powerful demonstration of democracy at its best.

It added that the result, uninfluenced by incumbency, speaks volumes about the credibility and integrity of the electoral process.

Highlighting its observations conducted by a total of 830 observers, they submitted thus:

On Pre-Election Observations, “We observed that the campaigns by the dominant political parties, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressive Congress (APC), were purely issue-based. This is different from previous campaigns where candidates attack personalities and individuals instead of focusing on their manifestos. We commend these candidates and their political parties for their commitment to an issue-based campaign. This was a significant and welcome departure from the past.

“We observed a complete absence of pre-election related violence, tension, or fear, which allowed citizens to go about their normal activities freely.

“We observed the movement of sensitive and non sensitive election materials from the RSIEC Headquarters to the Local Government Areas, then to the RAC Centres and to the Polling Units on the Election Day.

“The logistical preparations were flawless. The distribution of sensitive and non-sensitive materials, even to difficult riverine terrains, was well-managed and timely.

While on the Election Day Observations, it recorded;

“We witnessed the early commencement of voting activities across most polling units, with presiding officers and other ad-hoc staff seen in polling units between 8:30 and 9.30am.

“The accreditation and voting process started promptly and was orderly, a testament to the efficient training and planning by RSIEC.

“The reported voter apathy was unfounded. While turnout was initially slow in commercial areas, it increased significantly as the day progressed, reaching an impressive level by noon.”