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[BREAKING] LG Elections: Voting Starts In Rivers Amid Chaos, No Police In Sight

Published

2 months ago

Oct 5, 2024.

Voting in the local government elections across Rivers State officially commenced, with some voters casting their ballots while others waited for essential election materials.

The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) began distributing sensitive materials to local government areas earlier today, despite a federal high court order prohibiting the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and other security agencies from providing security during the polls.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that on September 30, a federal high court in Abuja ruled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must withhold the 2023 voter register from RSIEC.

The court also prohibited the Inspector-General of Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) from offering security for the election.

INEC, reaffirming its compliance with the ruling on October 2, stated it had not released the voter register to RSIEC. However, RSIEC countered, claiming it had received a copy of the register from INEC last year, creating a discrepancy between the two bodies.

Despite these legal challenges, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara insisted that the elections would proceed as planned, arguing that the court’s order did not halt the electoral process.

Early Friday morning, Fubara visited RSIEC’s office in Port Harcourt, where police officers had reportedly barricaded the facility housing the election materials.

Fubara criticized the police presence as unnecessary and accused the Inspector-General of Police of following directives from Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, to disrupt the election.

Voting Starts In Rivers LG Elections

In response, the Nigeria Police Force defended its actions, stating that its presence in Rivers State was in line with the federal court’s ruling and its duty to uphold the law.

The local government elections are seen as a critical battleground for control of grassroots politics in Rivers State. The standoff between Governor Fubara’s camp and the Wike faction has escalated tensions, with both sides closely watching the electoral outcome.

The Wike camp has voiced opposition to the elections, intensifying the political stakes in an already charged atmosphere.