RSIEC seeks CSOs collaboration for credible LG elections in Rivers

Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, Michael Odey, has called for the support and partnership of Civil Society Organizations, CSOs, to ensure a smooth, free, fair, and credible local government election on August 30, 2025.

Odey made the appeal during an engagement with CSOs in Rivers State on Thursday, urging them to assist the commission by serving as voter educators and mediators to enhance the success of the upcoming polls.

He said the forum would help strengthen collaboration with CSOs in areas such as voter sensitization, election monitoring, and oversight of the entire electoral process.

The RSIEC chairman noted that the interactive session formed part of the commission’s preparedness and reaffirmed its commitment to a process that is inclusive, peaceful, and transparent.

He also urged CSOs to reach out to residents, particularly those in rural communities.

Odey stressed that credible elections were not solely the responsibility of the electoral body but the product of collective efforts involving the election management body, security agencies, civil society groups, and the media, hence the need for robust collaboration.

“This forum, this gathering will afford us an opportunity to share updates on our preparedness of the election.

“It will go further to strengthen our partnership with the civil society in area of voter sensitization, in areas of election observation and in areas of peaceful participation.

“It will further assist us to clarity processes and guidelines, ensuring that all our collective interventions in the process are all aligned with our legal framework and the election timetable.

“So, as we trudge along to the Election Day, it has afforded an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to a process that is inclusive, to a process that is peaceful, to a process that is transparent and to a process that is credible.

“And so we count on the civil society organizations to mobilize the communities to counter misinformation, to encourage issue based engagement and ultimately to observe our electoral process with ultimate impartiality,” he said.

DAILY POST reports that while a representative of the Commissioner of Police gave an update on security arrangements for the polls, RSIEC’s Commissioner in charge of Budget, Statistics, Research, and Training, Professor Lezaasi Lenee Torbira, also provided updates on the commission’s achievements so far and the few pending tasks ahead of the elections.

The Executive Coordinator of Relief International Africa, Green Isaac, who spoke on behalf of the CSOs, assured that the groups are committed to ensuring free, fair, and credible elections.

“There are persons that do not get information as it is.

“There have been so many misinformation out there.

“It is our job as members of the civil society organization and most especially, those who are present here to go back to our communities, go back to our areas to make sure we douse the tension.

“Get them involved in the process, and trust in the commission’s ability to deliver.

“This is all we are doing. We are not partisan, we are not to join political parties except you are a member of a political party. That is your role you can play.

“But for us as civil society organizations, our role is to midwife the process and work closely with the commission,” he stated.

RSIEC seeks CSOs collaboration for credible LG elections in Rivers