THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has won 20 out of the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the Rivers State local government elections held on Saturday, August 30.
The ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state was victorious in only three LGAs, namely Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor, and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni.
The APC also secured the majority of councillorship seats, winning in 20 LGAs, while the PDP clinched councillorship positions in the three LGAs where it won the chairmanship.
This is the first time since 1999 that an opposition party has recorded a sweeping victory in Rivers State.
Announcing the results at the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) headquarters in Port Harcourt on Sunday, the RSIEC Chairman, Michael Odey, said certificates of return would be presented to all winners on Monday, September 1.
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The elections are viewed as a step toward lifting the state of emergency imposed on the state in March this year by President Bola Tinubu, following a protracted feud between the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Wike, who voted during the polls, hinted that with the polls concluded, the suspension of Fubara and the state House of Assembly would be lifted by September 18.
He described the exercise as crucial for stabilising governance at the grassroots level and commended Tinubu for ensuring that the elections were held, noting that without them, local governments would not have access to federal allocations.
The ICIR reported on Saturday that there was a heavy presence of security across the state, as residents trooped out to participate in the local government elections.
A reporter with the ICIR
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