Less than 48 hours after two Commissioners of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) resigned following the ongoing political crisis in the State, another Commissioner, Ibierembo Everlyn Thompson, resigned on Monday.
The resigned members of the electoral body cited the recent Supreme Court judgment over the conduct of the October 5, 2024, local government elections as reasons for their emergency exit from office.
The two Commissioners who resigned earlier are Lazberry Nnah and Professor Simeon Weli.
The latest resignation makes it three Commissioners that have resigned from the state electoral body since the reinstated State Assembly lawmakers led by Pro-Nyesom Wike, Speaker, Martins Amaewhule issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the chairman of the Commission, Justice Adolphus Enebeli, (rtd), to appear before the state House of Assembly last week.
After the expiration of the ultimatum which elapsed on Friday, February 7, 2025, another 72-hour ultimatum was given to the chairman and his commissioners to offer an explanation regarding the sources of funds used in the conduct of the local government elections which the Supreme Court in its judgment declared as contrary to the Electoral Act and all known laws of the country.
In the resignation letter dated March 9, 2025, and addressed to the chairman of RSIEC, Thompson said, “I write to formally resign my appointment as a member of the Rivers state independent electoral commission in charge of transport, logistics and stores.
“This decision was necessitated by the recent judgment from the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which annulled October 5, 2024, local government council elections in the Rivers state, and the subsequent development within the state.
“I remain deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve, as well as, the valuable experiences and insights gained during my tenure. I wish the Commission the very best”, the former commissioner said in the resignation letter on Monday.
In a similar development, former Governor of Rivers State, Rufus Ada-George, urged the parties involved in the political impasse to refrain from inflammatory statements, unnecessary ultimatums, and threats to the peace of Rivers.
Ada-George who expressed concern about the fragile peace in the State reminded the political gladiators in the crisis “of the rich history and the remarkable progress made over the years in the state.
He said, “Currently, it appears that we are drifting far into the Ocean. But, we still need to aim higher for peaceful co-existence and greater developments.”
The former Governor said in the light of the seemingly boiling political pronouncement and judgment by the Supreme Court, “I assert that peace is our utmost priority. I call on all parties involved to immediately stop all threats, inflammatory statements, ultimatums, and exercise restraint in their pronouncements to avoid escalating the fever pitch tension.”
He enjoined all parties to draw lessons from history, particularly from the then 1962 Western Regional Crisis as recently emphasized by one prominent citizen of that area.
He said that avoidable crises of this nature, if not swiftly and fairly handled may have far-reaching consequences.
