Rivers state Local government Elections, INEC voters register in RSIEC’s

Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has proclaimed Thursday and Friday as public holidays in anticipation of the local elections scheduled for Saturday.
In a statewide address on Wednesday, Mr. Fubara stated that this initiative would facilitate residents’ travel to their respective communities, ensuring their full participation in the electoral process.
Additionally, Mr. Fubara announced that all vehicular movement would be prohibited from midnight on Friday until 5 p.m. on Saturday.
The governor’s spokesperson, Nelson Chukwudi, provided the text of the address to PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday.
INEC voters register in RSIEC’s custody
Despite this ruling, Mr. Fubara, who visited the RSIEC headquarters in Port Harcourt shortly after the court’s decision, maintained that the elections would take place as planned.
In a statement broadcast on Wednesday, Mr. Fubara asserted that RSIEC possesses the INEC voters’ register.
However, he did not clarify how the Rivers Election Commission acquired the voters’ register after the court’s injunction against INEC releasing it.
The governor emphasized that RSIEC is legally authorized to conduct the election.
“The legal authority of RSIEC to oversee the local government elections was further reinforced by the judgment of the Rivers State High Court in Suit No: PHC/2696/CS/2024, delivered on September 4, which explicitly directed the Governor of Rivers State, the Government of Rivers State, and RSIEC to carry out the scheduled local government elections on October 5, utilizing the 2023 Independent National Electoral Commission’s Voters Register already held by RSIEC.
“As of today, RSIEC has demonstrated its concrete and verifiable capacity and readiness to conduct the 2024 Rivers State Local Government Elections on October 5,” the governor stated.
The reason why election must be conducted
Mr. Fubara emphasized that failing to hold the election would contravene the Supreme Court ruling issued in July, which prohibited the federal government from disbursing funds to local governments overseen by appointed officials.
“Thanks to President Bola Tinubu’s intervention, the deadline for adhering to the Supreme Court’s ruling has been generously extended by three months, set to conclude on 31 October,” Mr. Fubara stated.
In order to meet this deadline, the governor noted that more than 10 states across the nation have successfully conducted local elections.
He further mentioned that 17 out of the 18 registered political parties, including the All Progressives Congress, are engaged in the electoral process.
“As the Governor of Rivers State, I have pledged to uphold the Constitution of Nigeria and adhere to the rule of law and democratic principles.
“Any failure on our part to conduct the Local Government election would constitute a blatant disregard for the Supreme Court’s binding directive that prohibits any State Government from managing Local Government Councils in Nigeria with unelected officials, which would result in the State and its citizens being deprived of the statutory allocations owed to the 23 local government areas.”
The governor indicated that the state government has allocated funds and resources to the RSIEC to ensure the elections are conducted in a free, fair, and credible manner. He reassured residents that comprehensive security measures have been established for the election.
“We are making every effort to ensure that all registered voters can travel to their communities and peacefully fulfill their civic duties at their polling stations,” the governor affirmed.
Wike tries to stop the elections
The former governor of Rivers, Nyesom Wike, along with his supporters, is seeking to prevent the elections from occurring. The FCT Minister, Mr. Wike, has been involved in an extended conflict with Governor Fubara regarding the dominance of the political framework in the resource-rich state.