Rivers LG Poll: Fubara Declares Public Holiday, Restricts Movement

•Says no stopping of election, seeks massive turnout 

•Rivers REC denies releasing voters’ register to RSIEC

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara yesterday declared October 3 and 4 as public holiday in preparation for the local government elections in the state scheduled for next Saturday.

The governor in a state-wide broadcast urged Rivers people to come out en-masse and participate in the election that will determine the next leaders at the grassroots.

He announced a total restriction on vehicular and human movements into, within, and out of the state, and the local government areas, from midnight of Friday October 4, 2024 to 5pm on Saturday, October 5, 2024, except for persons and vehicles with valid identifications for election and other essential duties.

Fubara noted that the police and other security agencies had been put on alert to arrest and prosecute any person or group who attempts to violate the restriction order and enjoined Rivers people to comply with the process in order to have a peaceful and credible local government polls.

He assured residents of the state that the election for the 23 local government councils in the state shall be held on Saturday, October 5, 2024 throughout the state without any hindrances.

Fubara stressed that the state government had provided the necessary funds and logistics for the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) to conduct and deliver a fair, free, and credible local government council election as scheduled.

The governor said the conduct of the election was in compliance with the ruling of the Supreme Court on local government administration and the order of Rivers State High Court mandating the state government to conduct the local government elections.

“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 on 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, the Government of Rivers State and the RSIEC to conduct the scheduled local government elections on the 5th of October 2025 using the 2023 Independent National Electoral Commission’s Voters Register already in the custody of RSIEC.

“Today, RSIEC has expressed and demonstrated concrete and verifiable capacity and readiness to conduct the 2024 Rivers State local government elections on October 5, 2024,” the governor said.

He stated that 17 out of 18 registered political parties, including the All Progressives Congress (APC), have expressly and actively demonstrated their willingness to participate by filling candidates with RSIEC for the election.

“Therefore, I wish to advise and request all registered voters to go to their polling units to exercise their franchise by voting for the candidates of their choice as security personnel would be there to maintain order and ensure peaceful polls as a matter of constitutional duty,” he stated.

 Fubara reiterated that as the governor of Rivers State, he will continue to uphold the Constitution of Nigeria and abide by the rule of law and the principles of democracy as failure to conduct the local government elections would be a clear disobedience of the Supreme Court’s mandatory order.

The order had indicated that  no state government must administer the local government councils in Nigeria with unelected officers with the attendant consequence of the state and the people being denied the statutory allocations due to the 23 local government areas of the state.

He commended the state’s security high command for their cooperation and commitment to effectively secure the state and ensure peaceful trouble-free local government elections.

The governor emphasised that as citizens, everyone owed the state the commitment to support RSIEC to succeed in delivering on its constitutional duty to conduct a free, fair, and credible local government council election to usher in a new set of democratically elected leaders to administer the 23 local government councils.

Meanwhile, the Resident Electoral Commission (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Rivers State, Dr Johnson Sinikiem, has denied that the commission handed over the state’s voters register to the RSIEC contrary to claims that the latter was in possession of the document.

This was as the embattled Caretaker Committee Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Tony Okocha, has accused Fubara of disobedience to the rule of law, insisting that the party would not watch the governor drift the state into lawlessness.

However, Sinikiem revealed that the state INEC office had received two requests from RSIEC for the voters register, but compliance had been hindered by a court order from the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Sinikiem, who made the disclosure yesterday while speaking with journalists in Port Harcourt, explained that INEC’s tradition was to provide the voters register to RSIEC before local government elections, as mandated by law.

He clarified that INEC’s ICT department houses the voter register in soft copy and would typically provide certified photocopies to RSIEC, but insisted that no such document has been handed over.

“The tradition of the commission is that before an election for state at the local government the only responsibility that we have is to give them voters register because we are empowered to maintain and keep voters register for the country.

“However, to make it very clear, the RSIEC has written to us about two times for release of register but we have not released before we received from our headquarters an order from a Federal High Court restraining INEC from releasing the registers.

“So up till now we have not officially handed over the Rivers state voters register to RSIEC. We have not, the ICT department housed the voter register,” he said.

But Okocha, while speaking with journalists on the planned local government council elections, stressed that the APC would oppose the governor’s alleged impunity to court order.

The APC chieftain alongside his committee members at the briefing held at the party Secretariat on Aba Road, Port Harcourt, said the party was ready to participate in the election, saying the alleged atmosphere ahead of the election made them to withdraw participation in the polls.