Gifted Markson
In a broadcast delivered to the people of Rivers State, His Excellency, Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to holding the Local Government Elections scheduled for Saturday, 5th October 2024.
The elections come following the expiration of the three-year tenure of the Chairmen and Councilors of the 23 Local Government Councils on 17th June 2023.
Governor Fubara revealed that, in adherence to legal provisions, Caretaker Committees were initially installed to temporarily manage the councils, pending elections. However, a pivotal Supreme Court ruling on 11th July 2024 in the case A-G Federation v A-G Abia State and 35 Ors outlawed the administration of local government councils by unelected officials, mandating the immediate cessation of statutory allocations to such councils.
Following an intervention by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the compliance period with the Supreme Court ruling was extended to 15th October 2024.
On this basis, Governor Fubara instructed the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to organize elections for the 23 Local Government Councils, leading to the fixing of the date for 5th October 2024.
In his address, the Governor highlighted the legal backing for the elections, including a 4th September 2024 Rivers State High Court ruling, which upheld the legitimacy of the elections using the 2023 Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) voters register. Furthermore, 17 out of 18 registered political parties, including the All Progressives Congress (APC), have expressed their readiness to participate.
Governor Fubara assured residents that RSIEC has demonstrated full preparedness to conduct a fair, free, and credible election. Security measures will be in place to ensure peaceful voting across the state, with all registered voters urged to cast their ballots for their preferred candidates.
Additionally, to facilitate voter participation, the Governor declared Thursday, 3rd October, and Friday, 4th October as public holidays, and imposed a total restriction on vehicular and human movement from midnight on Friday to 5:00 p.m. on election day.
The Governor thanked the state’s security forces for their cooperation and called on all citizens to support the RSIEC in fulfilling its constitutional duty.
The Rivers State Government remains committed to entrenching democracy at the grassroots level, ensuring that the 23 Local Government Councils will be governed by democratically elected officials after the polls on 5th October 2024.