Atiku condemns Rivers LG election as sham, urges opposition to reject results

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly criticized the recently conducted local government elections in Rivers State, describing the exercise as a “sham” that undermines the essence of democracy.

Atiku, in a statement issued on Monday, alleged that the polls were stage-managed to favour the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while the voices of opposition parties and the electorate were deliberately suppressed.

According to him, the exercise was not only fraudulent but also orchestrated by “a cabal intent on overturning the democratic rights of the people of Rivers State.”

“What happened in Rivers is nothing short of a travesty. Democracy is built on the sanctity of the ballot, but what we witnessed was a blatant subversion of the people’s will,” Atiku said.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections called on opposition political parties to reject the outcome, warning that accepting such results would entrench a dangerous precedent in the country’s electoral system.

He further urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), civil society groups, and the international community to take note of what transpired, stressing that democracy in Nigeria is under severe threat if local government elections continue to be reduced to mere rituals.

The former Vice President added that the Rivers incident should serve as a wake-up call to all Nigerians to resist attempts by powerful interests to erode democratic principles at the grassroots level.

Meanwhile, the APC in Rivers has dismissed Atiku’s claims, insisting that the elections were free, fair, and reflective of the people’s choice.

The controversy surrounding the polls has heightened political tension in Rivers State, with analysts warning that the deepening mistrust between major parties could worsen the state’s fragile political stability.