He advised Rivers residents to exercise restraint.
Chief Executive Officer of TAF Africa, Jake Epelle, has faulted the emergence of All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates for the forthcoming Rivers State local government elections, describing it as a deliberate attempt to mislead the people of the state.
“This emergence is just orchestrated. They were submerged or hidden by them only for them to emerge right now. And the mixture of PDP and APC candidates is like a concoction that is going to be served to the innocent people of Rivers State,” Epelle stated on Thursday.
He said there was nothing good about the electoral process as those in charge “know what they are doing” and “are trying to embellish their acts to make themselves look like peaceful Jews”.
“The mixture of the PDP people is just to cover their tracks, so don’t trust them. Everything they are trying to do is to make it look good. You can’t make a bad apple look good. It’s not going to happen,” Epelle said during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
Asked what he thought about the list of candidates for the Rivers council poll, Epelle said, “They are trying to make a bad process and a bad product look good. It’s our resources that are at play. This is just an opportunity to siphon our resources. What is at play is our democracy.
“This is a properly scripted or played out drama that you’ll find a situation where those who have been loyal to the FCT minister, those who are loyal to the dictates of what this administration wants to do, have been compensated and rewarded with that office that they don’t have the intellectual or moral authority to run. They don’t want to lead the people; they want the world for themselves.”
He also challenged past local government chairmen to make their records public.
Epelle also expressed distrust in the legal and democratic processes surrounding the elections.
“Everything about this election has failed the legality test, it has failed the morality test, and it has failed the test of common sense. I have very little faith in the judicial processes and the judiciary itself,” he added.
He said, “This is not the time to be unlawful in any sort. Let’s trust divine intervention, let’s trust judicial intervention if that will happen. But everything about this election has failed. I don’t even know or believe how inclusive this election will be.”
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) had announced August 30 as the new date for the 2025 local government elections.
According to the Chairman of RSIEC, Michael Odey, the decision to postpone the election was necessitated by the state of emergency declared in the state, which disrupted earlier plans.
He noted that in view of the new realities, it became imperative to adjust the electoral calendar.
The revised timetable includes new dates for party primaries, screening of candidates, campaign periods, and the main council elections.
Stakeholders, including party leaders, electoral observers, and media representatives, were present at the unveiling to review and discuss the updated guidelines.
According to the revised guidelines, participating political parties are expected to conduct their primaries between July 31 and August 3, 2025, and submit the names of their candidates on August 3 and August 4, 2025.
RESIEC said that electioneering would begin on Tuesday, August 12, 2025.
It said that the recruitment of ad-hoc staff for the elections would be held on Saturday, August 16, 2025.
The agency also said the list of candidates would be displayed on Wednesday, August 20, 2025.
The state is currently under emergency rule, led by a retired naval chief, Ibok-Ete Ibas.