Port Harcourt, Rivers state – The Rivers state house of assembly has issued a warrant of arrest against the chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), Justice Adolphus Enebeli (retired).
As reported on Monday, March 10, by Leadership, this follows Enebeli’s alleged refusal to appear before the house.
Martins Amaewhule-led house had during its plenary on Monday, issued the arrest warrant after the expiration of its 72-hour ultimatum for Enebeli to appear before the house.
RSIEC had fixed August 9, 2025, to conduct a fresh local government election in the state following a Supreme Court verdict that annulled the October 5, 2024, LG polls conducted in the state.
In the election, the Action Peoples Party (APP) was declared the winner of the chairmanship seats out of the 23 local government areas of the states in the election.
The RSIEC declared 22 chairmanship candidates of APP as the winners of the local government after the conclusion of the collation.
Lingering political crisis in Rivers state
Oil-rich Rivers state has been engulfed in crisis since October 2023 after some lawmakers loyal to the federal capital territory (FCT) minister, Nyesom Wike, initiated impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The power tussle between the governor and his predecessor (and former godfather) has since split the 31-member assembly into two warring factions. That development led to the bombing of a section of the state assembly complex.
Meanwhile, Fubara has spent most of his time mired in political survival at the expense of governance and development of the state.
Similarly, Wike has spent more time on the politics of Rivers state than on his primary assignment in Abuja.
