Rivers State Governor, Sim Fubara has declared that there is no going back on Saturday’s local government election in the state, as he maintains that no amount of blackmail, propaganda or distractions will stop the polls.
He adds that the decision to conduct the local government election complies with the recent Supreme Court judgement authorising states where elected local government executives are not in place to do so and that Rivers State is one of the few states yet to comply with the court’s directives.
When he received a delegation of the state chapter of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC who had come to inform him of their readiness to participate in Saturday’s local government election, Governor Fubara assured them that the election would be free and credible.
Sixteen political parties were represented at the meeting, and those who have expressed their intention to contest Saturday’s election include the Emeka Beke-led All Progressives Congress, APC.
They say they are not deterred by the antics of those who went to court to try to stop the election from holding, saying that the success of the exercise will be to the benefit of the people, especially at the grassroots.
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The Governor adds that President Bola Tinubu has also given states that are yet to do so a window of 90 days to complete the process before full implementation of financial autonomy granted the local councils by the country’s apex court.
The Governor wonders why some people are hell-bent on ensuring that the local government election does not take place in Rivers State. He adds that he is aware that some persons within and outside the state have been engaged to disrupt the exercise.
He therefore calls on the people to unite and protect democracy in Rivers State.
Meanwhile, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Rivers State, Johnson Alalibo says it is only the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC that can release the Voters Register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC
Speaking ahead of the planned council elections in Rivers state, Alalibo denied claims that the Voters Register has been released to RSIEC. He also spoke on the court orders surrounding the election saying the Commission is only in receipt of the order of the Federal High Court Abuja that restrained it from releasing the Voters Register to RSIEC.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
