Rivers Crisis: Legal Expert Says Sole Administrator Cannot Conduct Local Government Elections

Human rights advocate and legal expert, Victor Giwa, has strongly criticized the planned August 30th Local Government elections in Rivers State, calling them illegal and unconstitutional.

Giwa, who is the National Coordinator of Advocates People’s Rights and Justice, made his position known during an interview on Arise News. He reacted to the announcement that the state’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Étè Ibas (retd.), would oversee the upcoming elections.

Giwa argued that the sole administrator has no legal authority to appoint a chairman for the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), nor to organize any form of election.

“I am shocked to learn that the Rivers State Sole Administrator appointed the Chairman of the State Electoral Commission and has even agreed to conduct elections on August 30,” Giwa said.

“He has no legal authority to do so, as he is not the Governor of the State.”

He explained that under the Rivers State Electoral Commission Law of 2018, only a duly elected governor, with approval from the State House of Assembly, can appoint a chairman and members of the electoral body. Giwa stressed that Admiral Ibas was not elected and lacks both the constitutional mandate and legislative backing required for such actions.

“There is currently no functional State House of Assembly that can screen and confirm the chairman he appointed. Therefore, any election conducted under his authority would be null and void,” he added.

Giwa further clarified that the role of a sole administrator is limited to maintaining peace and preventing chaos — not making executive decisions such as conducting elections.

This legal opinion adds another layer to the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State, where constitutional procedures and leadership legitimacy have come under intense scrutiny.