-Deborah Akinyosoye
The Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, Justice Adolphus Enebeli (retd.), has declared 22 chairmanship candidates of the Action Peoples Party winners of the October 5, 2024 local government elections in the state.
He said the candidates, after collation of results, scored majority of valid votes cast in two-thirds of their respective wards in the 22 LGAs.
Enebeli added that the result of the chairmanship position for Etche LGA was stood down by the commission because of its expansive landscape with 19 wards, which slowed down the collation process.
Justice Enebeli, who is also the Chief Electoral Commissioner for the election, declared the results in Port Harcourt on Saturday.
It was reported that the results declaration was witnessed by members of the Inter-Party Advisory Council from 18 political parties, leaders of the Nigerian Bar Association, civil society groups, returning officers, journalists and other stakeholders.
The RSIEC chairman stated that the polls closed at 3pm and witnessed a large turnout of voters who defied the rain, adding that thereafter, the results started trickling in.
He stated, “It is, therefore, heartwarming that I stand before you all today to affirm the smooth, safe, free, fair, credible and transparent, all-inclusive, successful, violence-free and most treasured conduct of the 2024 Rivers State Local Government Council election despite all odds.”
Speaking to journalists after casting his vote at Ward 10 in Port Harcourt LGA, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Austin Okpara, congratulated the state for “a peaceful outing.”
He said, “The turnout was good. Those who boycotted did so for what I would classify as selfish reasons because you do not want elections to hold in Rivers State. The Federal Government, and by the Supreme Court’s pronouncement, had stated that at the end of this month (October), any local council that is not democratically elected would not receive their funds and other resources. So, it means that if this election does not hold, Rivers State at the local government level will not receive their allocation. Then, you do not wish Rivers well.
“The thousands of people that work at that level, the families that depend on them, how will they survive? So, indeed those who don’t want the election to hold are the true enemies of Rivers State. But thank God both Rivers people and residents turned out, at least with what I have followed.”
Our correspondent noted that almost all the frontline candidates who were hitherto members of the PDP later emerged as candidates of the APP in the 23 local government areas of the state.
The APP candidate in Obio/Akpor LGA, Chijioke Ihunwo, shortly after casting his vote in Ward 1, unit 40, lauded the RSIEC for conducting a credible election.
Ihunwo said, “I will describe the election as a very peaceful one despite the fact that the enemies of our state tried to disrupt the entire activities of RSIEC.”