The Rivers State Local Government Council election was successfully held across the 23 local government areas of the state on Saturday October 5 as scheduled amid opposition.
Action Peoples Party (APP) under which candidates who left the PDP contested, swept the votes.
The Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), Retired justice Adolphus Enebeli declared 22 chairmanship and 314 councilor-ship candidates of the Action Peoples Party (APP) winners in 22 LGAs and 314 wards of the state.
Action Alliance (AA) won one chairmanship position that is, Etche local government area, while Labour Party, Booth Party, SDP and YPP won one councilor-ship seat each.
Justice Enebeli commended the political parties and Rivers people for their commitment to the election, which he described as smooth, safe , free, fair, credible, transparent and all inclusive, adding that it was successful and devoid of violence.
Those he announced as winners include, Vincent Reuben Obu-Abua/Odual, Chibudom Ezu-Ahoada East, Mr Iyekor Ikporo – Ahoada West, Mrs. Tonye Oniyide – Akuku Toru, Lazarus Gogote Nteogwuile – Andoni, Dr. Sule Amachree – Asari Toru, Dame Anengi Barasua – Bonny, Dr. Harry Agiriye – Degema, Chief Brain Gokpa-Eleme, David Omereji – Emohua, Amb. Chijioke Ihunwo – Obio/Akpor and others.
Stiff opposition however, trailed the conduct of the election. Two prominent political parties, the Tony Okocha led APC and the PDP in the state had earlier mounted strident opposition against the local government elections.
Tony Okocha had in press briefings and interviews stated that it would be illegal to conduct the local government council elections because a court of competent jurisdiction had given order that it should not be held.
Okocha was apparently referring to the Federal High Court order by Justice Peter Lifu which barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the Voters’ Register to RSIEC for the conduct of the election. Justice Lifu’s order had equally barred the security agencies from providing security during the election.
Okocha had said, based on the court order, it smacked of impunity on the side of RSIEC and the Governor to continue to insist that the local government election must go on.
“The Governor of Rivers State has ruled and continues to rule the state with impunity. The Governor is on the verge of adopting a self-right approach to the chagrin of all of us in Rivers State,” Okocha alleged.
He insisted that his members would not participate in the elections, even though the party had qualified and credible candidates.
In the same vein, two days before the LG elections, Chukwuemeka Aaron, Chairman, Rivers State PDP and his members had stormed the DSS office in Port Harcourt and the Police Command headquarters in protest against the conduct of the election.
PDP had urged the DSS and the Police to prevail on RSIEC and the Governor to obey court judgment allegedly barring the election.
Speaking at the DSS office and the Police headquarters, the state PDP chairman, Chukwuemeka Aaron had stressed that the council elections must be suspended in obedience to the court judgment.
He said: “We are not in a banana republic where people disobey court orders. We have told them that there will be no election, and we are not party to their plans because we want to obey court order.”
Governor Fubara however, picked holes on the court order by Justice Lifu, saying a court of equal jurisdiction, the State High Court and even the Supreme Court had ruled that the elections must be conducted as stipulated by the constitution.
In a state broadcast on the eve of the LG elections, the Rivers State Governor, Sir SimFubara stated as follows on why he decided to conduct the election:
“Following the expiration of the three-year-tenure of the chairmen and councilors of the 23 local government councils on the 17th of June 2023, I lawfully instituted caretaker committees to temporarily administer the23 local government areas pending when the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) would conduct the local government elections in the state.
“However, to entrench sustainable democracy and good governance in the country’s local government system, the Supreme Court of Nigeria by its judgment in SC/CV/343/2024: A-G Federation v AG Abia state and 25 ors delivered on the 11th July 2024 effectively outlawed the administration of local government councils with unelected officers and made several orders including the immediate stoppage of statutory allocations to local government councils without democratically elected local government councils.
“Following the President’s intervention, the period for compliance with the Supreme Court’s judgment was graciously extended by three months, which will expire on the 15th of October 2024.
“On the strength of these positive developments, I directed the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to take definite steps to conduct local government elections for the 23 local government councils of Rivers State.
“Acting per this directive, the RSIEC has since fixed and concluded all arrangements to conduct the local government council elections on Saturday 5th October, 2024.
“The legal impetus of RSIEC to conduct the local government elections was further strengthened by the judgment of the Rivers State High Court in Suit No: PHC/2696/CS/2024 delivered on the 4th of September 2024, which positively directed the Governor of Rivers State and the RSIEC to conduct the scheduled local government elections on the 5th of October, 2024 using the 2023 Independent National Electoral Commission’s Voters’ Register already in the custody of RSIEC……”
Governor Fubara stated that any failure on their part to conduct the local government election would be a clear disobedience of the Supreme Court’s mandatory order that no state government should administer the local government councils in Nigeria with unelected officers with the attendant consequences of the state and the people being denied the statutory allocations due to the23 local government areas of the state.
The Rivers State Government he further said, would also be acting in contempt of the judgment of the High Court of Rivers State in Suit No: PHC/2696/CS/2024 which restrains the Governor, the State Government, and RSIEC from scuttling the conduct of the local government elections scheduled for October 5th, 2024.
“Consequently, on the strength of the provisions of the Constitution of Nigeria, as amended, the Supreme Court judgment in SC/CV/343/2024 and the judgment of the High Court of Rivers State in Suit No: PHC/2696/CS/2024, I hereby reiterate that the Rivers State Government is irrevocably committed to conducting the local government elections on the 5th day of October, 2024,” the Governor stated.
Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Port Harcourt branch aligned with the Governor’s stand. In a radio programme, the Chairman Port Harcourt branch of NBA, Mrs. Cordelia Eke said no court order can stop the election, as LG administration was enshrined in the Constitution, and that the Constitution supersedes any orders granted by the courts. But, Barr. OCJ Okocha, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), insisted that RSIEC must obey the Federal High Court order by Justice Lifu.
In the early hours of Saturday before the LG elections, Governor Fubara disclosed that he received a report that ‘rogue’ policemen went to the RSIEC office to cart away the electoral materials meant for the LG elections.
According to him, he had to mobilize his own security and Rivers people, went to the RSIEC office and chased away the ‘rogue’ police officers. If they had succeeded in carting away the materials, the elections would have been stalled, political commentators averred.
Also, on the eve of the LG elections on the 5th of October, Tony Okocha raised the alarm that the APC office in Aba Road was attacked by hoodlums, who allegedly threw dynamites with the intent of burning the building down.
Okocha said he was inundated with calls around 3.30 am on Saturday 5th of October that the APC office had been set on fire.
Vincent Gbosi, S A Media to Okocha confirmed the incident with videos and pictures of the burning APC building he posted in social media platforms.
Okocha alleged that the Rivers State Government sponsored the hoodlums who dynamited the APC office. He stressed that Rivers APC is under attack and called on President Tinubu to come to their aid.
Hear Okocha: “So, this morning we woke up at 3.30 precisely. My phone kept ringing and ringing and ringing. When I picked up, it was my admin notifying me that our office had been attacked with explosives.
“You can see the impact. This was the second attempt. After they did the first one, they came back the second time to set the building ablaze.
“So, we want to tell Nigerians that we are under attack. Our citizens, our leaders, differently are chased by their soldiers, when I say soldiers, I’m talking about uniformed soldiers. That’s what I’m talking about.
“They are chasing us everywhere, and we are not bulging, So, what they felt they would do is to come and destroy our party Secretariat.”
Chibuike Ikenga, Publicity Secretary of Tony Okocha led APC and Victor Giadom, APC National Vice Chairman South-South had equally spoken against the LG election.
While Ikenga said the election should not be conducted as a result of court order barring its conduct, Victor Giadom chastised those who claimed to be contesting under the APC. Giadom who was sarcastically referring to candidates fielded by the Emeka Beke led APC, said the National Working Committee of the party only recognized Tony Okocha led Rivers APC. He said the APC at the National level does not recognize any other APC except the one led by Okocha.
While the APC and supporters of the FCT Minister Barr. NyesomWike will continue with their opposition against the conduct of the election, those who won had commended RSIEC for what they hailed as peaceful and hitch-free LG elections in the state.
One of them is Chief Sunny Wokekoro, Chairman, Action Peoples Party (APP) who eulogized the RSIEC chairman, Retired Justice Enebeli for conducting what he described as the most peaceful election in the history of local government elections in the state.
However, while the celebration was going on, reports came that Ikwerre, Emohua and Eleme Local Government Councils had been set on fire by arsonists, and that Governor Fubara had gone to the Ikwerre Local Government Council to inspect the extent of damages to the structures there. With their opposition against the conduct of the LG elections continuing, the aggrieved would now resort to court actions in a bid to seek for justice, instead of the violence and jungle justice going on at the moment.
