Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara insisted on Thursday that the state’s local government election, set for Saturday, October 5, would go ahead, despite concerns from his predecessor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The governor warned against any attempts by groups or people to disrupt the electoral process, underscoring that he would not allow any activities intended to cause confusion or instability in the state.
Members of the Peoples Democratic Party loyal to Wike, as well as a faction of the All Progressives Congress led by Chief Tony Okocha (also a known Wike loyalist), announced their withdrawal from the election earlier, citing irregularities and a lack of due process by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission.
However, the APC faction loyal to former Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi, led by Emeka Beke, continued to participate, distributing party flags to candidates in 22 of the state’s 23 local government areas.
The Okocha-led APC group filed a lawsuit against the RSIEC at the Federal High Court in Abuja, resulting in a temporary injunction that bans the Independent National Electoral Commission from providing the voter registration for the election.
The court also prohibited security organisations, such as the police and the Department of State Services, from providing security for the exercise.
Despite the legal challenges, the RSIEC declared its readiness to hold the poll on Saturday, claiming access to the voter registration, contrary to INEC’s position.
On Thursday, top PDP politicians and thousands of supporters marched through the streets to protest the RSIEC’s planned election conduct.
During a stakeholders’ meeting at Government House, Governor Fubara chastised the protesters while admitting that he was also at a disadvantage because his party (the PDP) did not participate in the election.
“You know, in this election, I am the greatest loser because my party is not participating. But due to the Supreme Court ruling that there must be elected officials to manage the affairs of local governments, as governor, I have to comply,” Fubara stated.
He added that following the Supreme Court verdict, they met with President Bola Tinubu and promised to comply with the ruling within 90 days. As a result, Fubara insisted on conducting the local government election even though the PDP was not involved.
The governor expressed irritation with the opposition to the election in Rivers State, adding that other states throughout the country had held local government elections using the 2023 voter register without incident.
“Ten states of the federation have conducted elections with the 2023 voter register. I don’t know why things in Rivers State are always different. Is it that when it comes to the law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it is interpreted differently for Rivers State?” Fubara asked.
He further claimed that some of the demonstrators were transported into the city from the border towns of Imo State, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, and Akwa Ibom State to cause disturbance.
“No matter the guise or level of ‘aluta continua’ posture that the detractors adopt, the local government election will proceed as planned,” the governor emphasised.
Fubara closed by inviting registered voters and party leaders to attend their polling stations on Saturday to participate in the election and ensure that the process runs smoothly.
