A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has praised the people of Rivers State for boycotting the local government elections held on Saturday, August 30, 2025.
Eze, a former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party (nPDP), described the exercise as a “comic election” and a “sham managed by individuals unknown to law.”
In a statement issued in Port Harcourt, he said the polls, conducted by a team unlawfully appointed by Sole Administrator Ibok-Ette Ibas, were aimed at “installing stooges and moronic followers” of the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike.
“The reaction from electorates across the state embodies an outright rejection of the political banditry of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and his disdainful acts of sabotage against the administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara,” Eze stated.
Allegations of Vote Allocation and Ballot Stuffing
Eze accused the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) of fabricating results in favour of Wike’s allies.
According to him, result sheets were allegedly “hijacked and kept in a private hotel in Port Harcourt, where figures were being distributed to give the sham a tincture of an election.”
He further alleged that in areas such as Emohua, Ikwerre, Obio-Akpor, and Port Harcourt City, voters shunned the polls, yet candidates were declared winners with “tens and hundreds of thousands” of votes.
Citing video evidence, Eze claimed that RSIEC ad-hoc staff were caught thumb-printing entire ballot papers for the APC in Emohua Local Government Area.
“Not even a single voter turned up at the polling unit, yet a factional APC chairmanship candidate, Chidi Lloyd, was declared winner with over a hundred thousand votes,” he alleged.
“Wike Has Never Won Any Election
The APC stalwart said the outcome showed that Wike’s political career had always been dependent on electoral malpractice.
“For an uncontested election to be this manipulated, it clearly shows that Wike has never won any election in his political life. He thrives in electoral malpractices. Recall that the FCT Minister lost his polling unit to the Labour Party during the 2023 presidential election. He could not deliver Tinubu, but at the collation centre, the results were changed,” he said.
Eze also criticised what he described as the hypocrisy of former political rivals now posing as APC members and benefiting from the alleged sham polls.
Faith in the Judiciary
Despite his criticisms, Eze expressed confidence that the courts would eventually nullify the August 30 exercise.
“I remain confident that the courts, in due time, will set aside the charade and return orderliness to the Rivers polity. The political banditry in Rivers State contravenes every recognized standard of civilized behaviour in nations still nursing their nascent democracies,” he said.
Looking Ahead to 2027
Eze warned that some Nigerians view the election as a test run for the 2027 general elections. However, he said the resilience of Rivers people during the boycott was a sign that “collectively, we can rescue Rivers State from Tinubu and Wike and ensure they are retired from politics accordingly come 2027.”
