21,000 Rivers LG Workers Allegedly Sacked Amid Claims of 2027 Election Funding Strategy

By Destiny Tamunoala Emmanuel

The Initiative for Transparent Strategy and Good Leadership has raised the alarm over the alleged sack of more than 21,000 local government workers in Rivers State, claiming that the development may be connected to efforts to generate funds ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In a statement issued on Friday, August 21, 2026, and signed by its Spokesperson, C.C.E. Obujunwo, the group alleged that the mass disengagement followed a biometric verification exercise conducted across the 23 local government areas of the state by the Rivers State Local Government Service Commission.

The organisation alleged that the exercise was being used as a basis for determining which workers would remain on the local government payroll, while describing the reported sack as a politically motivated attempt to reduce the wage burden of the councils and create additional funds for political activities ahead of the 2027 elections.

However, these allegations could not be independently verified at the time of filing this report.

The Rivers State Local Government Service Commission had previously explained that its biometric verification exercise was intended to establish accurate staff records, eliminate ghost workers and address irregularities in the local government payroll. During the exercise, Commission Chairman Israel Amadi reportedly said genuine employees would be given the opportunity to participate in the verification process. (Punch Newspapers)

The Commission's official portal also identifies online profiling, record management, remuneration and staff benefits as among its functions, indicating that staff verification and payroll administration fall within its institutional responsibilities. (Rivers State Service Commission)

According to the Initiative, the alleged disengagement was concluded on August 19 at the Justice Mary Odili Judicial Institute in Port Harcourt, during a meeting attended by local government chairmen, Heads of Local Government Administration, Heads of Personnel Management, treasurers and members of the Local Government Service Commission.

The group alleged that all the council chairmen, except Chidi Lloyd, attended the meeting, adding that some of the chairmen were said to have expressed reservations about the development because of the possible political consequences of disengaging large numbers of workers from their councils.

It further alleged that the affected workers were expected to receive their August salaries because payroll vouchers had already been closed, but would subsequently be informed that their appointments were considered irregular or illegal.

The organisation claimed that more than 2,300 workers were allegedly affected in Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt City local government areas alone, while putting the purported new total workforce across the state's local government system at about 13,000 employees from September 2026.

The Initiative described the development as "penny wise, pounds foolish", arguing that terminating the employment of thousands of Rivers residents to reduce government expenditure or create funds for political purposes would have serious socioeconomic consequences for families and communities.

It alleged that deductions were already being made in some local government areas and claimed, without providing documentary evidence, that some of the funds were allegedly being reserved for political activities ahead of the 2027 elections.

The group also called for an investigation into the financial affairs of the local government councils, particularly against the backdrop of increased federal allocations to the three tiers of government.

Its call comes at a time when Nigeria's monthly Federation Account allocations have remained substantial. Recent figures reported for July 2026 put total FAAC disbursement at about N3.01 trillion, although the precise allocation to individual Rivers State councils would require verification from official FAAC records. (Proshare)

The Initiative consequently urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and qualified forensic auditors to conduct comprehensive financial and forensic audits of the 23 local government councils in Rivers State.

The organisation further alleged that some council chairmen were experiencing disagreements with their treasurers over the management and retirement of council funds. It also alleged that some local government allocations were being diverted towards the acquisition of personal properties by officials.

These allegations have not been independently established, and no evidence substantiating the claims was made available in the statement.

The group claimed that the alleged pressure on the Local Government Service Commission to conduct the verification was partly aimed at creating room for further reductions in the councils' wage bills and, consequently, freeing additional funds.

The Initiative also expressed concern over the position of the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, alleging that elements within the union could frustrate a proposed statewide shutdown on Tuesday, August 25, 2026.

It called on the NULGE leadership to demonstrate what it described as courage and commitment to the interests of local government employees, saying that failure to act on the planned industrial action should attract accountability from the union's leadership.

Beyond the immediate controversy, the group appealed to Rivers residents to scrutinise political promises ahead of the 2027 elections and resist supporting political parties solely because of financial inducements.

It argued that the electorate should instead demand candidates and political parties capable of restoring jobs, improving security, strengthening local government administration and addressing the economic difficulties confronting ordinary citizens.

The Initiative specifically demanded the immediate reversal of the alleged disengagement of legitimate local government employees and called for the restoration of the workers' employment status, rights and privileges where their appointments are found to have been valid.

The controversy comes against a broader national debate over local government finances and autonomy, particularly as the Federal Government and relevant institutions continue discussions around Nigeria's revenue-sharing framework. The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission recently announced the completion of its review of the country's revenue allocation formula, potentially opening another phase of debate over the distribution of federally collected revenues among the three tiers of government. (FMIONO)

For now, the central question remains whether the reported reduction in Rivers State's local government workforce represents a legitimate administrative and payroll-cleaning exercise arising from the biometric verification process, or whether, as the Initiative alleges, the exercise is being deployed for political and financial purposes.

The Rivers State Government and the Local Government Service Commission would need to provide an official breakdown of the number of workers affected, the criteria used for the disengagement, the number of employees found to have irregular appointments and the legal basis for their removal in order to clarify the situation.

Until such explanations and supporting records are made public, claims linking the alleged mass disengagement directly to preparations for the 2027 elections remain allegations and should be treated as such.

C.C.E. Obujunwo
Spokesperson
Initiative for Transparent Strategy and Good Leadership

21 August 2026