This is as the local government election conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, has apparently triggered more crises in the state.
Reports gathered that despite opposition from the loyalists of Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, the election was conducted on Saturday as directed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Wike’s loyalists in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and a faction of the All Progressives Congress, APC, had vowed to boycott the election, citing a judgement by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Recall, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja had in a judgement declared that RSIEC violated requisite provisions by not publishing the mandatory 90 days notice before fixing the date for the election.
The court, therefore, barred the Independent National Electoral Commission from releasing the voter register to RSIEC for the conduct of the election.J
ustice Lifu also barred the Inspector General of Police and the Department of State Service, DSS, from providing security for the polls.
The judgment followed the suit brought before the judge by the state chapter of APC, faulting RSIEC’s move to fix October 5 for the polls.
Despite the court judgement barring the security agencies from participating in the election, Governor Fubara insisted that the election would go on as scheduled.
His stance stirred up the political space last week as some stakeholders lashed out at the governor, while others, including former vice president Atiku Abubakar threw their weights behind him.
Similarly, RSIEC ignored the legal hurdles and said it was ready to conduct the election, claiming to have access to the voters’ register, contrary to INEC’s position.