The chairmanship candidates of the Labour Party in Rivers State have revealed that they have instructed their legal teams to file petitions before the appropriate election tribunal constituted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
They cited irregularities and breaches that marred the poll as the basis for their legal challenge.
“As candidates who participated in the election, we possess both the legal and moral right to challenge the irregularities and breaches that marred the poll,” they stated.
The candidates strongly condemned a recent statement issued by a self-styled “Coalition of Political Parties” regarding the outcome of the August 30, 2025, local government elections.
In a joint press statement signed by five Labour Party chairmanship candidates, including Hon. Dienye Pepple, Miller Ngozi Chika, Fidelis Ikebuluwa, Charles Inko-Tarriah, and Hon. Prince Tonye Jeminimiema, the candidates categorically rejected the coalition’s claims, describing them as misleading and an attempt to undermine the electoral process.
The candidates, who contested in the election, expressed their disappointment and frustration with the coalition’s statement, which they claim does not reflect their position.
They emphasised that they were not consulted or involved in the decision-making process that produced the statement.
“We are not members of the said coalition, nor were we consulted, informed, or in any manner involved in the decision-making process that produced its statement,” the candidates stated. “The coalition does not speak for us. None of its members stood as candidates in the August 30 election.”
The candidates rejected the coalition’s statement in its entirety, describing it as a distortion of the truth and an affront to democracy. They called on the public, the media, and all relevant institutions to disregard the false claims emanating from the coalition.
“We regard the coalition’s statement as a distortion of the truth and an affront to democracy,” they stated. “It is a unilateral action that lacks any basis in fact or law. We therefore reject it in its entirety.”
The Labour Party candidates reaffirmed their commitment to democratic principles, the rule of law, and the sanctity of the electoral process. They expressed their determination to exhaust every lawful avenue to seek redress for the electoral infractions they have documented and to ensure that the will of the people of Rivers State prevails.
“We reaffirm our unflinching commitment to democratic principles, the rule of law, and the sanctity of the electoral process,” they stated.
