Victor EzejaThere is palpable tension as election is set to hold across the 23 local government areas in Rivers State today, 5th October.
The power play between the incumbent Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, has remained the cause of political crisis in the state in the last one year.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelWike, who is the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has since he fell out with his successor, Fubara, been scheming to ensure that he controls the political power in the state.
At the recent congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Wike prevailed, ensuring that his loyalists were elected as State Executive Committee members.
While Wike’s loyalists oppose the conduct of the LG poll, Governor Fubara insists it must hold.
Those opposing the LG election include a faction of the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), led by the state chairman, Tony Okocha, a faction of the state House of Assembly loyal to Wike, the Rivers State chapter of the PDP led by its chairman Aaron Chukwuemeka. The PDP members loyal to Wike, and APC faction led by Okocha (also a known Wike’s loyalist) had announced their decision to withdraw from the election, citing irregularities by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
The Okocha-led APC faction had filed an action against RSIEC at the Federal High Court in Abuja, and obtained an order that temporarily barred the Independent National Electoral Commission from releasing the voter register for the election. The court also barred the police and other security agencies including the Department of State Services (DSS) from providing security during the election.
The Police, citing court orders, have said they would not provide security services in Rivers and urged other security agencies to do the same.
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However, RSIEC has expressed its readiness to conduct the election on Saturday, claiming to have access to the voter register.
While the APC faction led by Okocha is insisting on participating in exercise, those loyal to the former governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has indicated interest, and has fielded candidates for the election in about 22 LGAs.
Another development to the matter was the counter judgment that emerged from the Federal High Court in Rivers State, which gave full judicial backing to RSIEC to proceed with the October 5 LG election as scheduled.
The presiding judge, Justice I.P.C. Igwe, while ruling in a suit filed by the Action Peoples Party (APP) on the subject matter, declared that there’s no going back on the Rivers Local Government election on October 5th.
While delivering judgment in the suit that joined RSIEC, Rivers State Government and Governor Siminalayi Fubara as defendant, the judge held that they were bound to make adequate provision for election and ensure that the affairs of the Local Government Councils in Rivers State are conducted by democratically elected Local Government Councils.
On Thursday, PDP members loyal to Wike staged a protest in the state, against the LG election.
However, Governor Fubara insisted that it must hold and warned against any attempt by any group or individuals to cause chaos in the state on the election day.
The governor who spoke during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House on Thursday, said he was even on the losing side as the PDP was not participating in the election.
READ ALSO: Rivers LG Poll: Police Deny Evading Electoral Commission Office
“You know, in this election, I am the greatest loser because my party is not participating. But due to the Supreme Court ruling that there must be elected officials to manage the affairs of local governments, as governor, I have to comply,” Fubara stated.
The governor explained that he was simply trying to comply with an agreement reached by all the governors with President Tinubu during a meeting immediately after the Supreme Court ruling. He said they agreed on a 90-day timeframe to conduct LG poll and begin implementation of full LG autonomy.
A fresh twist to the matter was when the governor stormed RSIEC office around 1 am on Friday morning saying he got a report that police were making attempts to “take over” the premises and “cart away sensitive electoral materials.”The governor, who was visibly furious, accused the Inspector General of Police of taking orders from the FCT Minister, stating that the relationship between the IGP and Wike is no longer a professional one.
He insisted that no matter what happens, the LG election must hold with or without the police providing security.
However, the Rivers State Police Command in a statement on Friday, claimed that its officers were deployed to RSIEC following an intelligence over plans by hoodlums to carryout arson attack on the premises.
The police assure that it remains committed to security lives and properties and also maintaining law and order.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
