Massive protest erupts in Rivers over LG election

By Okafor Ofiebor

Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, led by its Chairman Aaron Chukwuemeka, staged a protest on Thursday against the upcoming local government election scheduled for October 5.

The protesters, who are loyal to Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, gathered at the party secretariat along Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway before marching to the Department of State Security (DSS) and the police headquarters in Port Harcourt.

The protest aimed to compel the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to obey a Federal High Court order regarding the election.

Meanwhile, Governor Siminalayi Fubara has declared Thursday, October 3, and Friday, October 4, as public holidays to allow residents to travel to their communities and participate fully in the local government elections on Saturday.

He also announced a strict restriction on vehicular movement from midnight on Friday, October 4, until 5:00 p.m. on Election Day.

In a statewide broadcast on Wednesday, Fubara explained that the three-year tenure of the Chairmen and Councilors of Rivers State’s 23 Local Government Councils expired in June 2023, leading to the temporary appointment of Caretaker Committees.

However, following a Supreme Court ruling, unelected officials are no longer permitted to administer local government councils.

The court’s decision prompted the Governor to direct RSIEC to organize the elections.

RSIEC has completed arrangements for the October 5 election, and 17 out of 18 political parties, including the All Progressives Congress (APC), have submitted candidates.

The elections will be conducted using the 2023 Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) voters’ register, which has already been provided to RSIEC.

Fubara emphasized the constitutional obligation to hold the elections, warning that failure to do so would result in the suspension of statutory allocations to the state’s local governments.

He assured residents that adequate security would be in place, urging all registered voters to participate peacefully.

In response to claims that INEC denied providing an updated voters’ register for the election, RSIEC’s Commissioner for Public Affairs and Civic Education, Tamunotonye Profit-Tobins, stated that the commission followed due process to obtain the register and is prepared to challenge INEC’s denial.