This is coming after Governor Siminalayi Fubara declared Thursday and Friday as public holidays in preparation for Saturday’s local government election in the state.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has prohibited the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) from conducting the elections.
The court also barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from providing the voters’ register to RSIEC for this purpose.
This legal action was initiated by the APC caretaker committee led by Tony Okocha, who was recently removed from his position by a state court.
Okocha is an ally to former Governor Nyesom Wike, who is currently the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and is contesting with Fubara for political control in the state.
Wike oversees the PDP structure, while the faction of the APC led by Okocha also falls under his influence. Both parties are boycotting the local elections, citing the court order as their reason.
After Okocha’s committee was dismissed, the court reinstated the leadership of the APC under Emeka Beke.
Following this change, Beke has mobilized members to participate in Saturday’s elections.
He is allied with Rotimi Amaechi, the former governor of Rivers, ex-minister of transportation, and a presidential aspirant for the APC in 2023.
In a broadcast on Wednesday, Governor Fubara announced the two-day public holiday to allow residents to travel to their communities for the local elections.
He emphasized that the elections must take place on Saturday to avoid non-compliance with a Supreme Court ruling that grants financial autonomy to local governments.
In July, the Supreme Court ordered the federal government to cease funding local governments administered by appointed officials.
However, President Tinubu extended the deadline for implementation to October, which means that if local elections are not held, Rivers may not receive federal funds in October.
Fubara stated in his broadcast that RSIEC has the INEC voters’ register and is fully funded to conduct the elections.
The manner in which RSIEC acquired the voters’ register is unclear, as INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner Johnson Alalibo noted in a press briefing that the document had not yet been released to RSIEC.
He confirmed that he had received a request from RSIEC, as well as a court order preventing INEC from releasing the register.
Fubara claimed that RSIEC has a state court order to conduct the elections and urged citizens to turn out and vote, assuring them of adequate security measures.
About 12 hours after the broadcast, the PDP and APC held a joint protest at the PDP secretariat on Aba Road in Port Harcourt against the planned local elections.
Video footage circulating on social media showed a large crowd obstructing traffic, with significant security presence at the secretariat.
KanyiDaily recalls that Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara had previously removed Nyesom Wike’s ally, Eze Chidi Awuse as the Chairman of Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers.
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