Newly elected Rivers State council chairmen will take office today, October 6, at the Government House, Port Harcourt
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, is scheduled to swear in the newly elected local government chairmen today, Sunday, October 6, 2024, at the Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Port Harcourt. The swearing-in ceremony will begin at 4 pm.
The announcement was made in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, and dated October 6, 2024. It informed that the newly elected chairmen, along with one guest each, are expected to arrive by 3:30 pm for the event.
Following the local government elections on October 5, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), led by its Chairman Justice Adolphus Enebeli (retd.), declared 22 Action Peoples Party (APP) candidates victorious in 22 of the state’s 23 local government areas. These candidates secured a majority of valid votes cast in two-thirds of their respective wards.
However, the commission has yet to finalize results for the Etche Local Government Area due to delays in the collation process caused by the region’s vast landscape, which includes 19 wards.
Election Incidents:
The local government election in Rivers State, however, witnessed episodes of violence. Suspected political thugs, accompanied by men in police uniforms, disrupted polling activities in some areas. At Elekahia Primary School in Port Harcourt City, heavily armed men in 21 Hilux patrol vans reportedly stormed the election venue, releasing tear gas canisters, forcing RSIEC officials and voters to flee.
Two explosions were also reported at the All Progressives Congress secretariat along Aba Road and the Obio/Akpor Local Government Secretariat. The state police command confirmed that they had swiftly responded to the incidents and initiated investigations.
In another notable development, RSIEC officials were absent from Ward 9 in Rumueprikom, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, the hometown of the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike. Voters in the area expressed confusion, with some claiming that elections did not take place in their ward.
Similar reports of election disruptions were observed in areas like NTA Road, Mgbuoba, and Ozuoba communities within Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.
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