Tension in Rivers as APC vows to stop Oct 5 Local Govt poll, seeks Tinubu’s backing

Emmanuel Nlewedum, Port Harcourt

The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State led by Chief Tony Okocha has vowed to oppose the State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara over the proposed local government elections scheduled for Saturday October 5th in the state.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, has fixed Saturday, October 5, for the conduct of the 2024 local government election following the expiration of the tenure of elected council chairmen in the state in June.
But Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has declared Thursday, October 3 and Friday, October 4, 2024 as public holidays to enable residents of the State to travel to their various communities to fully participate in the local government election.
Governor Fubara made the declaration in a statewide broadcast to the people of the State at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Wednesday evening, stating that the October 5th Local Government election in the State is sacrosanct, that no amount of propaganda will stop the election.
He also announced strict restriction of vehicular movement of residents from midnight on Friday, October 4 to 5pm on Election Day.
But controversy has continued to trail the proposed election with conflicting High Court judgements, after the Okocha-led APC had filed a suit against the planned conduct of the election, citing illegalities on the part of the RSIEC and the state government, adding that they were not carried along during the decision making process for the exercise.
It would be recalled that on Monday, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja headed by Justice Peter Lifu, barred the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from releasing voters’ register to the RSIEC for the conduct of the council polls.
On the other hand, Justice I. P. C. Igwe of a Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt, ordered RSIEC to go ahead with the election using the 2023 voters’ register.
Despite the controversy, RSIEC Chairman, retired Justice Adolphus Enebeli has assured that the election will hold as planned this Saturday.
Briefing journalists in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, the APC’s NWC-backed Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party in Rivers State, Chief Tony Okocha said, the proposed October 5 LG election is illegal, following RSIEC’s refusal to adhere to the necessary legal requirements, including the 90-day notice mandated by law.
Chief Okocha accused Governer Fubara of drifting Rivers to a state of lawlessness with his alleged disobedience to court orders, and that the APC cannot allow that to continue to happen in the state.
Okocha said, “Rivers State is drifting to a state of lawlessness because of flagrant impunity and impunities of one man who is self-seeking.
“The governor of Rivers State has rule and continued to rule this state with impunities. The governor is at the verge of adopting a self-right approach at the chagrin of all of us in Rivers State.
“I am worried, because reading through philosophers of note, you will hear one of them saying that in a state of anarchy, it becomes illegal to be law abiding.
“As members of the APC, we have exhausted all the legal means, and we will not stand akimbo, watch him drift this state to abysmal oblivion by the reason of trying to push across, his personal idiosyncrasies.
“APC is a party in government at the centre and we need to let our party, the president and members of the National Assembly know our plight. Should we submit to an attempt to envelope APC in Rivers State, or concede to the deliberate attempt by one man to annihilate APC in Rivers State? The answer is no.”
He criticized the governor’s visit to the RSIEC office to give orders to the electoral body on the proposed exercise, describing it as an act of desperation and ridiculous.
Okocha said, instead of the Rivers State Government and RSIEC to go to Appeal Court to upturn the judgment of Justice Peter Lifu, they decided to toe the part of illegality.
He said, “under what law is this local government election going to hold. What is the appropriation and who appropriated the funds for the local government elections to hold? So, you see illegality and impunities on this.
“Seeing the level of desperation of the Governor, after the judgment of the Federal High Court got to him on Monday, he drove straight to RSIEC office to tell them that they should continue with the election process and to say that if they see any security agency there that he will deal with them. That he is both the governor of the state and Chairman of RSIEC.
“If the governor is the chairman of RSIEC, does it not confirm that we can’t be comfortable contesting the same election he is interested in delivering his interest? Shall we take this absurd and when will it end?
“We will not sit down and watch the governor drift this state to lawlessness. We are bonafide citizens of Rivers State, and we also have the same right and privileges anyone else can decide to have.”
Okocha said, “APC is eligible and ready to contest elections, but not under this circumstance, and the court has agreed with us that the processes were flawed and that election under that scenario will be a charade, and that’s where we stand.
“We are here as a party and it’s representatives to say that we will not accept this impunity and we draw the attention of these agencies responsible for this. We want the media to tell the world that we will oppose the governor’s planned impunity,” Okocha said.
Also speaking, the Publicity Secretary of the CTC, Chibuike Ikenga said with the INEC being barred by the court to release the voters’ register to RSIEC, and security agencies restricted from providing security for the exercise, the Rivers government, and RSIEC’s insistence to conduct the election on Saturday is a disobedience to the rule of law.
He said the election ought to be conducted with an updated voters’ register in order not to disenfranchise some eligible voters who were not captured in the last registration exercise.
Ikenga who stressed the need for the judiciary to take steps in enforcing court judgements, called for the intervention of the President Bola Tinubu led-Federal Government to ensure that the rule of law is obeyed in Rivers State.
The Secretary of the Tony Okocha-led CTC, Eric Nwibani said, the press conference was to let the world know that the planned local government election in Rivers State is against the law and should be rejected.
Meanwhile, Gov Fubara has declared October 3rd and 4th public holidays for Rivers Local Government poll.
This was contained in a broadcast on Wednesday.
The full text of the broadcast reads: “My dear people of Rivers State, following the expiration of the three-year tenure of the Chairmen and Councilors of the 23 Local Government Councils on the 17th of June 2023, I lawfully instituted Caretaker Committees to temporarily administer the 23 Local Government Areas pending when the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) would conduct the Local Government Elections in the State.
“However, to entrench sustainable democracy and good governance in the country’s local government system, the Supreme Court of Nigeria by its judgement in SC/CV/343/2024: A-G Federation v A-G Abia State and 35 Ors delivered on 11th July 2024 effectively outlawed the administration of our local government councils with unelected officers and made several orders including the immediate stoppage of statutory allocations to Local Government Councils without democratically elected local government councils.
“Following Mr President’s intervention, the period for compliance with the Supreme Court’s judgment was graciously extended by three months, which will expire on the 31st of October 2024.
“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 per this directive the RSIEC has since fixed and concluded all arrangements to conduct the Local Government Council election 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.
“As of today, RVSIEC has expressed and demonstrated concrete and verifiable capacity and readiness to conduct the 2024 Rivers State Local Government Elections on the 5th of October 2024.
“As of today, 17 out of 18 registered political parties, including the All Progressives Congress, have expressly and actively demonstrated. their willingness to participate by filling candidates with RSIEC for the election.
“As of today, over 10 States in Nigeria have conducted Local Government Council Elections using the 2023 INEC Voters’ Register since the Supreme Court’s judgment and Rivers State cannot be an exception.
“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 Rivers State Government would also be acting in contempt of the judgment of the High Court of Rivers State in Suit No: PHC/2696/CS/2024, which restrains the Governor, the State Government, and RSIEC from scuttling the conduct of the local government elections scheduled for October 5th, 2024.
“Consequently, on the strengths of the provisions of the Constitution of Nigeria, as amended, the Supreme Court Judgment in SC/CV/343/2024, and the judgment of the High Court of Rivers State in Suit No: PHC/2696/CS/2024, I hereby reiterate that the Rivers State Government is irrevocably committed to conducting the local government elections on the 5th day of October 2024.
“Against these backgrounds, I wish to assure every resident that the election for the 23 Local Government Councils in Rivers State shall be held on Saturday 5th October 2024 throughout the State.
“The State Government has provided the necessary funds and logistics for RSIEC, which has assured me that it is fully prepared and ready to conduct and deliver a fair, free, and credible Local Government Council election as scheduled.
“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.
“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.
“To this end, I hereby declare Thursday and Friday, the 3rd and 4th of October 2024 as public holidays for citizens to travel to their communities and participate in the election.
“Furthermore, I hereby place a total restriction on vehicular and human movements into, within, and out of the State, and the Local Government Areas, from midnight of Friday 4th October 2024 to 5.00 p.m. on Saturday 5th October 2024, except for persons and vehicles valid identifications who are on election and other essential duties.
“The police and other security agencies have clear directives from the State’s Security Council to arrest and prosecute any person or group who attempts to violate the restriction on human and vehicular movements on election day.
“I wish to appreciate the State’s Security High Command for their cooperation and commitment to effectively secure the State and ensure peaceful and trouble-free local government elections.
“As citizens, we all owe our State the commitment to support the 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”, he said.
In a related development, Governor Siminalayi Fubara also declared that the Saturday, October 5th date for LGA election remains sacrosanct.
The Governor said his conviction stems from the Supreme Court judgment that all states in the federation should have democratically elected local government executives, Mr. President’s 90 days window to states to comply with the Supreme Court ruling, and the substantive judgment by the Rivers State High Court that mandates the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to conduct the election.
Governor Fubara made the declaration when members of the Rivers State Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) led by its Chairman, Solsuema Osaro paid him a courtesy visit at Government House, Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
Eighteen out of the 19 registered political parties were represented at the meeting, including AA, AAC, ACCORD, ADC, ADP, APGA, APC, BOOT, LP, NCP, NNPP, APM, NRM, PRP, SDP, YP, YPP, and ZLP.

.As Police deny sealing RSIEC office

Meanwhile, The Police Command in Rivers has refuted claims that its officers sealed off the office of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).

There were earlier reports that the RSIEC secretariate in Port Harcourt was sealed following a Federal High Court order halting the local government council elections scheduled for October 5.

However, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, the command’s spokesperson, told journalists in Port Harcourt that the reports were false.

She said that police officers were stationed at the RSIEC office to safeguard the premises from potential attacks amidst the ongoing October 1 nationwide protest in the state capital.

“The police presence at the facility is strictly for security purposes and not to interfere with the electoral process,” she said.

Iringe-Koko urged reporters to verify information before publication to prevent the spread of misinformation.

The Police spokesperson also denied allegations that officers assaulted protesters during the #FearInOctober march in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that despite the Federal High Court’s ruling halting the elections, RSIEC said it was determined to proceed with the local government polls on Saturday.

RSIEC Chairman, retired Justice Adolphus Enebeli, cited a ruling from the State High Court mandating the commission to continue with the elections.