There is tension in the polity as four states, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Benue and Jigawa hold local council elections, today.

The tension is much more in Rivers where the camps of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike, are locked in a fight to finish in the battle for the control of political structure at the grassroots.

As of press time, how the exercise will pan out in Rivers was difficult to tell following confusing, and conflicting signals from many quarters. For instance, while the National Working Committee, NWC, of the Peoples Democratic, PDP, is in support and wants its members to take part in the election, its Rivers State chapter, which is loyal to Wike, urged residents and party members to shun the exercise.

The Police, citing court orders, have said they would not provide security services in Rivers and urged other security agencies to do the same.

However, Governor Fubara who accused the Police of bias, said the election would be held with the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, saying regardless of the court order, it would go ahead with the conduct of the exercise.

This was as the Action Peoples Party,APP, disowned a factional group claiming to be the party’s authentic leadership in Rivers, and backed RSIEC’s decision to go ahead with the poll.

In Akwa Ibom, Governor Umo Eno of the PDP, and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who belongs to the All Progressives Congress, APC, boasted about their parties winning the poll. While Eno said the PDP will win with a landslide, Akpabio said the APC could not be dismissed easily.

In Benue, leaders of the ruling APC and main opposition PDP are locked in a testy duel that could be dress rehearsal for 2027 general polls.

The four council polls that will be held today, are part of ongoing push by states to ensure democratically-elected councils on the heels of the recent Supreme Court ruling halting federal allocation to councils without elected officials, and the agreement of Presidency and governors to do so within 90 days of the judgment. 

Other states have slated council elections as follows: Plateau (October 9), Kogi (October 19), Kaduna (October 19), Cross River (October 26), Kano (October 26), Abia (November 2), Nasarawa (November 2), Ogun (November 16), )Ondo (January 18, 2025), Katsina (February 15, 2025) and Osun (February 22, 2025).