…As RSIEC Chairman Promises free, Fair Elections
…N2.7bn Approved For Exercise
Unconfirmed reports say the Rivers State Local Government elections for council chairmen and councillors will hold in the State in the first quarter of 2021.
According to the report, the electoral body, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, is considering a date in April for the conduct of the elections.
Election timetable and guidelines are expected to be released before the end of December 2020, the source revealed.
Meanwhile, to ensure that adequate preparations are made for the local government elections, the state government has earmarked the sum of N2.7 billion (2,747,351,405.13) for the commission.
The amount was contained in the Four Hundred and Forty Eight Billion, Six Hundred and Sixty Million, Seven Hundred and Seventy Three Thousand, Four Hundred and Seventy Six Naira (N448, 660,773.00) budget proposal approved by the state House of Assembly for Gov Wike for 2021 fiscal year.
Relatively, the Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), Honourable Justice George Omereji (rtd), has promised that the Commission would conduct free and fair elections next year to have representatives at local government level.
Speaking at a sensitization meeting with stakeholders in Ikwerre Local Government on Monday, the RSIEC boss said the commission would provide a level-playing field for all political parties in local government areas.
He said the meeting was convened to sensitize the people of the local government ahead of the council polls so that they would participate in the elections.
The RSIEC boss said: “The main reason why we are here is to sensitize the local government that election will soon come in 2021, so in order to make sure that people participate in that election we have come to sensitize them. We know that election is very, very important because it is through election under democracy that we choose our leaders and when you make a good choice the people will rejoice. We will do everything possible to be fair. We will be just. We will be firm”.
He said the meeting was to sensitize the people so that they would come out and exercise their franchise saying that there will be peace as they do so.
He also said the elections would hold next year but added there was no date yet.
The RSIEC Chairman had commended the Chairman of the local government, Hon (Engr) Samuel Nwanosike, for transforming the council secretariat.
The stakeholders sensitization meeting was at the instance of the state electoral body.
In his response, the Chairman of the local government, Hon (Engr) Samuel Nwanosike, expressed the hope that the state electoral body will provide level-playing field for all political parties in the local government.
He also assured that the local government will participate in the forthcoming elections.
The council boss said that chairmen of all political parties in the local government were at the meeting.
He also said that the third tier of government was most important in the country’s democracy saying to get the country working, local governments should be working.
There was later an interactive session.
The Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party in the local government, Hon Dennis Amadi, had said the elections should be credible.
Another stakeholder had said political parties should organize themselves in course of the election for the Commission to conduct credible election.
Speaking in an interview, the Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the local government, Sarah Chikwadonum Mbah, who is also the Secretary of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), said that the meeting was “timely” and would help political parties to prepare ahead of the election.
