Wike loyalists storm party Secretariat

On Thursday morning, members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, along with politicians from the All Progressives Congress, protested against the upcoming local government elections. They began their demonstration at the PDP secretariat on the Port Harcourt-Aba expressway and moved to the Police Headquarters on Moscow Road to voice their concerns.

The protesters, primarily loyal to former governor and current Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, submitted a petition to the police, urging security agencies not to participate in the local government polls. Led by PDP Chairman Aaron, they accused Governor Sir Siminalayi Fubara of flouting the rule of law.

Aaron pointed out that a court order currently prohibits the state government from proceeding with the elections, requesting that the police adhere to this order and refrain from providing security during the polls. On September 30, a Federal High Court in Abuja had barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the 2023 voter register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), a directive that INEC has complied with.

In contrast, a Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt ordered RSIEC to proceed with the local government elections scheduled for October 5. Justice I. P. C. Igwe’s ruling, stemming from a case filed by the Action Peoples Party, mandated the use of the 2023 voter register for the elections.

The court emphasized the need to conduct these elections within three months to fill vacant local council positions, as per a Supreme Court ruling that required states without elected local governments to hold elections within that timeframe. Accordingly, the court stated that elections in Rivers State must be held by October 5, 2024.

Despite the legal complexities, Governor Fubara has declared his intention to go ahead with the elections, designating Thursday and Friday as public holidays. He asserted that failing to conduct the elections would violate the Supreme Court’s mandate, resulting in the state being denied statutory allocations for its 23 local government areas.