October 07, (THEWILL) – On Sunday, the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, swore in the winners of the 2024 Local Government Council Election, which held on Saturday, October 5 amid palpable tension across the state.
The Action Peoples Party, which enjoyed Governor Fubara’s support, literally swept the votes in what looked like a landslide victory, winning in 22 local government areas, in the absence of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Due to the intensity of the political crisis that preceded the local government council poll, even threatened to destabilise the state at some point, not many indigenes of Rivers were initially convinced it would hold.
As the principal actors in the crisis and their supporters strove to outdo each other in a struggle for control of the state, the people of the state looked on in fear and confusion.There was fear that Rivers would explode any time and there would be bloodshed everywhere.
On the eve of the election, the Police Command in the State reportedly invaded the premises of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) in Port Harcourt at about 1.am, apparently on orders from ‘above.’
The presence of the police at the office of the electoral umpire gave Governor (who had to leave his residence to confront the police) and some members of his cabinet cause for concern. Only a few hours earlier, the police had announced that, in obedience to a judgement by a federal high court based in Abuja, it would not provide security nor enforce law and order during the poll. So, what were truckloads of armed policemen doing at that time in the office of the RSIEC on the eve of election? What was it planning?
The controversial role played by the Police during the last Governorship Election in Edo State has not been forgotten so soon. About 33,000 policemen and 8,000 soldiers were deployed in the state to provide security during that election. In the end, the conduct of the election reportedly failed the integrity test. Majority of accredited election observers declared that the election was fraught with irregularities, including vote-buying, bribery and manipulation of results. Even genuine voters were reportedly disenfranchised. In many cases, security personnel were accused of openly aiding and abetting election fraud.
The people of Edo are still smarting from the injustice perpetrated by anti-democratic forces during the governorship election. They have expressed their displeasure with the outcome of the election by hitting the streets in protest. The PDP has rejected the results of the election, which it claims was rigged in favour of the APC. As it is, the future of Edo hangs in the balance, perhaps till the grey areas around the controversial election are sorted out.
There is a feeling that the emerging imbroglio in Edo will translate into a series of court cases will negatively impact the state’s trajectory. Fubara and his supporters foresaw that and they wanted to avoid a replay of the scenario in Rivers State. So, against the backdrop of stiff opposition, they decided to ensure that the all-important local government election held by any means.
When it became clear that his political enemies were quite determined to scuttle the election and thereby deny the people access to governance at the grassroots, Fubara declared that, no matter what happened, the election would take place as planned.
Of course, the LG election in Rivers did take place, despite a last ditch effort by forces loyal to the immediate past governor of the state and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to abort it.
Reports claimed that, apparently joining forces with Wike’s supporters, the Police made another unsuccessful attempt to jeopardise the people’s yearning for a government that would be closer to them by ordering the closure of some polling units on Election Day.
The Rivers State Local Government Council Election has come and gone. As soon as the winners were sworn in on Sunday, a convivial atmosphere settled across the state. As expected, there was celebration in Port Harcourt, an indication that the nightmare of the past months is finally over and the people of the state can heave a sigh of relief.
With maturity and courage, Governor Fubara has been able to navigate the crisis in the state and successfully conduct the local government election, even as his own party refrained from participating.
The outcome of the LG election, which is clearly to the advantage of the progressives in the state, will certainly help the governor to consolidate his power within the local government councils in the state.
By aligning with the new LG chairmen, Fubara has positioned himself as the new political force in Rivers State.
Still, there is a need for the judiciary, security agencies and politicians to consider the overall welfare of the citizens while discharging their mandates, for there is still such a thing as letters of the law—academic—and intent-spirit of the law.
