Rivers Local Elections: INEC voters register in RSIEC’s custody – Fubara

Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has declared Thursday and Friday public holidays ahead of Saturday’s local elections.

In a statewide broadcast on Wednesday, Mr Fubara said the gesture would enable state residents to travel to their various communities to fully participate in the election.

Mr Fubara also announced that vehicular movement would be restricted from Friday midnight until 5 p.m. on Saturday.

The governor’s spokesperson, Nelson Chukwudi, sent the text of the broadcast to PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday.

INEC voters register in RSIEC custody

A Federal High Court in Abuja had barred Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) from conducting the election and also barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing voters register to the Rivers election commission.

However, Mr Fubara, who visited RSIEC headquarters in Port Harcourt hours after the court judgment, insisted that the elections would be held as scheduled.

In the broadcast on Wednesday, Mr Fubara said RSIEC has INEC voters register in its custody.

He did not, however, state how the Rivers Election Commission obtained the voters’ register after the court barred INEC from releasing the document to it.

The governor said RSIEC has the legal backing to conduct the election.

“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 4 September, 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 5 October, using the 2023 Independent National Electoral Commission’s Voters Register already in the custody of RSIEC.

“As of today, RSIEC has expressed and demonstrated concrete and verifiable capacity and readiness to conduct the 2024 Rivers State Local Government Elections on the 5 October,” the governor said.

Why election must be conducted

Mr Fubara said failing to conduct the election would violate the Supreme Court judgment delivered in July, in which the federal government was barred from releasing funds to local governments administered by appointed officials.

“Following President Bola Tinubu’s intervention, the period for compliance with the Supreme Court’s judgment was graciously extended by three months, which will expire on 31 October,” Mr Fubara said.

To avoid missing the deadline, the governor said over 10 states in the country have conducted local elections.

According to the governor, 17 of the 18 registered political parties, including the All Progressives Congress, are participating in the election.

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“As the Governor of Rivers State, I swore to uphold the Constitution of Nigeria and abide by the rule of law and the principles of democracy.

“Any failure on our part to conduct the Local Government election would be a clear disobedience of the Supreme Court’s mandatory order 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.”

The governor said the state government has provided funds and logistics for the RSIEC to conduct free, fair and credible elections. He assured residents that adequate security had been put in place for the election.

“We are leaving no stone unturned to enable all registered voters to travel to their communities to participate and peacefully exercise their civic responsibility at their polling units,” the governor said.

Wike wants to stop the elections

The former governor of Rivers, Nyesom Wike and his loyalists want to stop the elections from taking place.

The FCT Minister, Mr Wike, has been engaged in a protracted fight with Governor Fubara over the control of the political structure in the oil-rich state.