By Onyeche Igwe
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Thursday, insisted that the state’s local government election scheduled for Saturday, October 5, will proceed, despite protests from loyalists of his predecessor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The governor warned against any attempts by groups or individuals to disrupt the electoral process, emphasising that he would not tolerate any actions aimed at creating confusion or instability in the state.
The Peoples Democratic Party members loyal to Wike and a faction of the All Progressives Congress led by Chief Tony Okocha (also a known Wike’s loyalist), had earlier announced their decision to withdraw from the election, citing irregularities and a lack of due process by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission.
However, the APC faction loyal to former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, led by Emeka Beke, maintained its participation, handing over party flags to candidates in 22 of the 23 local government areas in the state.
The Okocha-led APC faction had taken legal action against the RSIEC at the Federal High Court in Abuja, resulting in a temporary injunction that prevents the Independent National Electoral Commission from releasing the voter register for the election.
The court also restrained security agencies, including the police and the Department of State Services, from providing security for the exercise.
Despite the legal hurdles, the RSIEC expressed its readiness to conduct the election on Saturday, claiming to have access to the voter register, contrary to INEC’s position.
On Thursday, prominent PDP politicians and thousands of their supporters took to the streets to protest against the planned conduct of the election by RSIEC.
Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House, Governor Fubara criticised the protesters, acknowledging that he was also at a disadvantage because his party (the PDP) was not participating 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 explained that following the Supreme Court ruling, a meeting was held with President Bola Tinubu, where they agreed to comply with the ruling within a 90-day timeframe. As a result, Fubara insisted that the local government election must proceed, even though the PDP was not involved.
The governor expressed frustration over the resistance to the election in Rivers State, noting that other states across the country had conducted local government elections using the 2023 voter register without such controversies.
“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 also alleged that some of the protesters were outsiders brought into the city from boundary towns between Imo State and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, and Akwa Ibom State, to foment trouble.
“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 concluded by urging registered voters and political leaders to be present at their polling units on Saturday to participate in the election and ensure the smooth conduct of the process.
PDP members protest
Earlier on Thursday, the Rivers State chapter of the PDP, led by its Chairman, Aaron Chukwuemeka, staged a protest against the planned conduct of the local government election by the RSIEC, despite a court order restraining it.
The protesters, including current and former members of the National Assembly as well as immediate-past local government chairmen, are allies and loyalists of Wike. Among them were the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Kingsley Chinda; the member representing Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency, Dumnamene Dekor; his counterpart representing Etche-Omuma Federal Constituency, Kelechi Wogu; and a former chairman of the PDP in the state and former Nigerian Ambassador to South Korea, Desmond Akawor.
Other notable figures at the protest included a former federal lawmaker, Emma Deeya; a former Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Fred Kpakol; and the immediate-past chairmen of Eleme, Gokana, Andoni, and Emuoha Local Government Areas, Obarimate Ollor, Confidence Deko, Erastus Awortu, and Chidi Lloyd, respectively.
The protest began around 7 a.m. at the PDP secretariat along Aba Road, Port Harcourt, with participants defying heavy rainfall as they marched through the old GRA area to the Department of State Services office to lodge their complaints.
Some of the placards carried by the protesters read: “RSIEC, obey court order,” “Rivers State is not lawless,” “We say no to impunity,” and “Police and Army must not support RSIEC.”
A group of youths among the protesters chanted slogans such as, “Under the rain, under the sun, we will follow Wike,” “No election in Rivers State,” and “On your mandate we shall stand,” as they made their way to the DSS office, where they were addressed by an official.
From there, the protest continued through the streets of Port Harcourt, passing the popular UTC Junction, Azikiwe Road, Bank Road, and Moscow Road, before finally converging at the state police command headquarters.
There, they submitted a petition to a representative of the state Commissioner of Police.
Speaking at the command headquarters, Chukwuemeka stated that the protest was to remind the police about a Federal High Court judgment delivered on September 30, 2024, which restrained RSIEC from conducting the local government poll and directed security agencies not to provide any support for the election.
“We are here to submit a petition to you from the Peoples Democratic Party, led by my humble self, the state chairman, Aaron Chukwuemeka,” he said. “Attached to this letter is a judgment from the Federal High Court on September 30, 2024. In that judgment, it was expressly stated that RSIEC should not conduct the election. The Independent National Electoral Commission should not release the voter register to RSIEC, and the security agencies were told not to participate in the election.”
Chukwuemeka emphasised that the PDP would not participate in the election and warned that if RSIEC went ahead with the poll, the party would not stand by if it led to a crisis.
“No man is bigger than the law. We as a party are not going to participate, and if they go ahead with the election and cause a crisis, we as the PDP will not fold our hands,” he stated.
Responding on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of operations, Olusegun Adepoju, commended the protesters for their peaceful conduct and for informing the police ahead of the protest.
“I want to thank you for sending the letter earlier regarding this protest, for us to provide security, and for following due process,” he said. “We appreciate you, and we want you to continue like that. I will definitely send your letter to the Commissioner of Police, who will pass it across to the necessary quarters, and we will give you feedback. Please continue to remain peaceful.”
As the protest progressed, the number of participants swelled at the police headquarters, demonstrating the level of support for the party’s stance against the local government election.
Pro-Wike lawmakers oppose poll
Also, the faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Wike opposed the conduct of the LG poll.
The Martin Amaewhule-led Assembly cautioned RSIEC against defying the court order to proceed with the Saturday poll.
During its 55th legislative sitting of the second session on Thursday, the Assembly, comprising 27 lawmakers loyal to Wike, called on RSIEC, chaired by Justice Adolphus Enebeli, to suspend the upcoming local government poll.
In a statement issued by the media aide to the Speaker, the Assembly urged RSIEC to comply with the ruling delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, which directed RSIEC to halt the election until all legal provisions and procedures for its conduct were fulfilled.
The House condemned RSIEC’s refusal to respect the court’s directive, describing it as a violation of the rule of law.
The concern was raised after the Chairman of the Committee on Commissions and Agencies, Barile Nwakor, presented a report on the status of the proposed local government elections.
Speaking on the matter, the Speaker, Amaewhule, expressed disappointment over the development, stating that under Governor Fubara’s leadership, the state risked being seen as a “Banana Republic” due to RSIEC’s apparent disregard for judicial orders.
While reiterating the Assembly’s support for conducting the election, the Speaker stressed that the process must strictly adhere to the legal framework and relevant laws governing the exercise.
Following deliberations, the Assembly unanimously voted to send a formal letter to the RSIEC Chairman, urging the commission to suspend the Saturday poll in compliance with the court’s ruling.
