Local Government Elections: Political Parties Hold Primaries Monday, January 25 To Elect Candidates
…Submit Names Of Chairmanship, Councillorship Candidates, Thursday, January 28
As aspirants jostle for party tickets ahead of the April 17, 2021 Local Government Elections in the State, the electoral umpire, Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has set Monday, January 25, 2021 to Saturday, January 30, 2021 for the respective political parties to conduct their primaries, to elect candidates for Chairmanship and Councillorship elections.
Similarly, RSIEC has further directed all the participating parties to submit the venues, dates and time for the party primaries on Monday, January 18, 2021 to Friday, January 22, 2021.
According to the election timetable released by RSIEC which was signed by the Chairman/Chief Electoral Commissioner of RSIEC, Retired Justice George Omereji, parties are to submit names of Chairmanship and Councillorship candidates that emerged from the primaries from Thursday, January 28, 2021 to Thursday, February 4, 2021.
The RSIEC boss added in the release that the issuance of nomination forms to candidates for Chairmanship and Councillorship elections who emerged from the party primaries upon their payment of the respective deposits would also come up on Thursday, 28 January, 2021 and end Wednesday, February 10, 2021.
Checks within the camps of the various political parties showed excitement as aspirants have been campaigning vigorously and eagerly await the coming of the primaries and eventual election.
Registered political parties in Rivers State are all geared up to participate in the forthcoming local government elections.
Some local government areas of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are however, mounting calls on the leadership of the party to ensure the maintenance of rotational Chairmanship across the various components of the LGAs and Wards in the respective Local Government Areas.
Recall that the PDP in AKULGA Ward 5 in a letter addressed to a chieftain of the party and Chairman of PDP AKULGA Leadership Forum, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, said it would be in the interest of peace, equity and fairness to allow rotational Chairmanship which it dubbed Turn By Turn (TBT).
But, the case is not the same for the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) whose fortunes have continued to dwindle by the day. Still grappling with the avalanche of lawsuits that threatens to tear the once formidable party into shreds and reducing it to opprobrium, APC, with two opposing factions, have yet to settle their differences and project itself for the upcoming primaries.
Two separate factions loyal to the two main gladiators in the APC are canvassing different positions on the LG elections. While one faction has indicated interest to participate in the forthcoming Local Government Elections, the other faction has declared that they will not participate.
The APC was delisted from the list of participating parties in the 2019 General Elections in the State, a situation precipitated by internal crisis in the party.
