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By our reporter
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has filed a lawsuit at the Rivers State High Court, challenging the legality of appointments made into the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) by the state’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (Rtd.).
Filed under case number PHC/3126/CS/2025 in Port Harcourt, the suit also names the Rivers State Government, the Attorney-General, and RSIEC as co-defendants. The ADC contends that only a constitutionally elected governor has the legal authority to appoint RSIEC board members—not a sole administrator appointed under emergency rule.
The party is also asking the court to nullify the revised local government election timetable released by RSIEC on July 28, 2025, alleging it contravenes provisions of the RSIEC Law, 2018. Additionally, the ADC is seeking to invalidate all actions taken by the newly appointed RSIEC board, including preparations for the upcoming local elections.
The ADC further demands a perpetual injunction to stop the sole administrator from making such appointments in the future, as well as ₦10 million in damages for what it describes as a violation of democratic and constitutional norms.
This case emerges amidst ongoing political tension in Rivers State, following the controversial declaration of a state of emergency by President Bola Tinubu in March 2025, and the subsequent appointment of a sole administrator to oversee the state’s affairs an action that has drawn widespread criticism.
