Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, is set to swear in the newly elected council chairmen today, Sunday, October 6, 2024.
The event will take place at 4 p.m. in the Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Port Harcourt, according to a statement released by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Tammy Danagogo.
The statement also noted that the chairmen, along with one guest each, are expected to arrive and be seated by 3:30 p.m.
This swearing-in follows the recent local government elections held on October 5, 2024, where 22 chairmanship candidates from the Action Peoples Party (APP) were declared winners. Justice Adolphus Enebeli (retd.), Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), confirmed the results, stating that these candidates secured a majority of valid votes across two-thirds of their respective wards.
However, the electoral process was marred by violence in several areas. One of the most significant incidents occurred at Elekahia Primary School in Port Harcourt City, where armed individuals in police uniforms disrupted the voting process, forcing RSIEC officials and voters to flee. Eyewitnesses reported that 21 Hilux patrol vans filled with heavily armed men entered the venue and deployed tear gas.
Further unrest was reported when two explosions were heard at the All Progressives Congress (APC) secretariat on Aba Road and the Obio/Akpor Local Government secretariat. The state police command responded swiftly to these incidents and has since launched an investigation.
Concerns over the integrity of the elections were heightened by reports that RSIEC officials were absent in Ward 9, Rumueprikom, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, the hometown of Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. Voters in the area expressed confusion about the lack of election activity. One voter, Oluchi, said, “Election did not hold in Rumuiprikom; that’s what we noticed. But in other places, they’re doing elections. We don’t even know what happened.”
Similar complaints were raised in the NTA Road, Mgbuoba, and Ozuoba communities within Obio/Akpor, raising further questions about the overall conduct of the elections.
As the swearing-in ceremony nears, the Rivers State government faces mounting pressure to address the controversies surrounding the elections while pushing forward with local governance.
