Rivers government fix date for local government polls

The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission has announced October 5 this year as date for Local Government Elections.

The decision came on the heels of the electoral body’s meeting with relevant stakeholders on Monday at it’s secretariat on Aba road Port Harcourt.

Major highlights from the meeting include the unveiling of the timetable and guidelines for the polls.

This announcement by the Chairman of RISIEC, Retired Justice Adolphus Enebeli, may just have marked the commencement of preparations for the elections following the dissolution of the management of the twenty three councils by governor Siminalayi Fubara after their tenure elapsed June 17th this year.

Recall that the announcement is coming amid the ongoing local government succession crisis caused by the conflict between Governor Fubara and the Martins Amaewhule-led lawmakers over the controversial amendment of Rivers local government law.

Governor Fubara had gone ahead to inaugurate caretaker committees for all the twenty three LGAs to run the affairs of the councils when the out gone chairmen were still laying claim to their seats following the six-month tenure elongation granted them by the Amaewhule-led lawmakers of the Rivers state house of assembly.
To forestall violent clashes, the police had since taken over all the twenty three councils, barricading all their entrances pending the outcome of the forthcoming judgement of the appeal court.