PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria – Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has sworn in the newly elected local government council chairmen at an event scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday, October 6, 2024, at in the Executive Council Chambers at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
This follows the announcement of results from the local government elections held across the state on Saturday.
In a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, the elected chairmen, accompanied by one guest each, were expected to be seated by 3:30 p.m. for the ceremony.
Justice Adolphus Enebeli (Rtd.), Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) and Chief Electoral Commissioner for the election, declared 22 chairmanship candidates from the Action Peoples Party (APP) as winners.
The results were announced in Port Harcourt on Saturday after the collation of votes, where the candidates secured a majority in two-thirds of their respective wards across the 22 local government areas.
However, Enebeli noted that the chairmanship election result in Etche Local Government Area was stymied due to delays in the collation process, which were attributed to the expansive landscape of the area, which has 19 wards.
The election process was marred by incidents of violence in several areas.
In Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, suspected political thugs and individuals in police uniforms disrupted the voting process at Elekahia Primary School.
Voters and RSIEC officials were forced to flee when 21 Hilux patrol vans carrying heavily armed men arrived and fired tear gas canisters at the polling venue.
Additionally, an explosion was reported at the All Progressives Congress (APC) secretariat along Aba Road and the Obio/Akpor Local Government secretariat.
The state police command responded swiftly to the incidents, collecting samples and launching an investigation.
In other parts of Obio/Akpor, including Ward 9 in Rumueprikom, the hometown of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, voters reported that no elections took place.
“Election did not hold in Rumuiprikom; that’s what we noticed. But in other places, they’re doing elections. We don’t even know what happened,” a voter named Oluchi told reporters.
Similar reports came from NTA Road, Mgbuoba, and Ozuoba communities in Obio/Akpor.
The swearing-in ceremony today is expected to formalize the election results, despite the disruptions and challenges faced during the voting process.
