The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has confirmed it will only recognise candidates submitted by the Chief Tony Okocha-led faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the upcoming August 30 local government elections.
RSIEC’s Commissioner for Administration and Legal Matters, Chidi Halliday, made this known during an engagement with civil society organisations in Port Harcourt. He addressed concerns about the submission of two separate lists of APC candidates—one from the Okocha-led faction and another from the Chief Emeka Beke-led group.
Halliday explained that although both lists were received, the Beke faction submitted its list outside the official timeframe. “The list from the Chief Beke APC was received for record purposes only,” he said, clarifying that RSIEC had monitored the primaries conducted by the Okocha-led faction and would only accept their candidates.
He further stated that RSIEC does not intervene in internal party conflicts or legal disputes, relying solely on documentation from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which is responsible for recognising party executives.
“To us, after the primaries are over, you cannot start submitting your list,” Halliday emphasized. “All those we are dealing with are from the records we got from INEC.”
In response, the Beke-led APC, through its spokesperson Darlington Nwauju, insisted that their list was submitted on time and that the faction remains the legitimate APC leadership in the state.
“Any attempt to publish names without the endorsement of our Chairman, Emeka Beke, and State Secretary, Sam Sam Etetegwung, as candidates of APC in Rivers State will attract the long arm of the law,” Nwauju warned.
This dispute stems from a Rivers State High Court judgment last year that reinstated the Beke-led executive, aligned with former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi. The group had previously been dissolved by the APC National Working Committee under Abdullahi Ganduje for alleged anti-party activities.
Meanwhile, RSIEC Chairman Dr. Michael Odey assured the public of the commission’s commitment to a credible electoral process. He disclosed that RSIEC had obtained the official voter register from INEC and plans to make it publicly available soon.
“We have a signed letter from INEC issuing us the voter register. It is authentic, and the INEC Chairman has promised full support,” Odey confirmed.
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