According to the report from the Vanguard, The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has announced that the elections in the 23 local government areas of the state will be held on October 5th, 2024. The Chairman of RSIEC, Justice Adolphus Enebeli (rtd), assured stakeholders that the elections will be conducted in a free, fair, and non-violent manner, with every vote counting.
However, the stakeholders' meeting held on Monday was marred by controversies as the major opposition political parties in the state, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP), did not attend the meeting.
Chief Tony Okocha, the caretaker committee chairman of APC in the state, defended his party's absence, stating that they were not officially invited to the meeting and only learned about it through social media. He emphasized that APC, as a major opposition party, should have been formally invited for such an event.
On the other hand, the Rivers state chairman of the Interparty Advisory Council (IPAC), Hon Solsuema Osaro, confirmed that 17 out of the 19 political parties in the state would participate fully in the local government elections scheduled for October. He expressed gratitude to Governor Siminalayi Fubara for his commitment to conducting the elections. However, both APC and PDP were absent from the meeting, and the reasons for their absence remain unknown.
During the stakeholders' meeting, Justice Enebeli reiterated the importance of democratic principles, including political participation, freedom of expression by the press, the rule of law, and the independence of the judiciary. He acknowledged the existing disputes and issues surrounding the local government elections but assured everyone that the elections would be conducted in a free, fair, and non-violent manner.
It is worth noting that the state experienced a crisis when the tenure of the former council chairmen, who were loyal to the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, was terminated on June 17, 2024. The former chairmen claimed that Law No. 2 had extended their tenure by six months and refused to vacate the council secretariats, leading to the Nigeria Police Force taking over the secretariats until the final judgment of the case by the federal high court in Abuja.
The stakeholders' meeting was well-attended, with the presence of security agencies, civil society organizations (CSOs), the media, and other critical stakeholders.