THE African People’s Party (APP) has won 22 out of the 23 local government chairmanship seats in the just- concluded Rivers State local government election.
This means that governor Similayi Fubara’s preferred candidates were victorious in a poll marred by controversy and security challenges.
Fubara has also won the election for an opposition party, as he has yet to decamp from his party – the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)
It also means his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, lose control of the state’s structure, at least for now.
Fubara and Wike have been at loggerheads over who controls the PDP structure in the state, with President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to resolve the feud yielding no results.
The chief election officer of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, Adolphus Enebeli, disclosed this on Saturday, October 5, in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
While announcing the results, Enebili said the declaration for Etche Local Government Area had been postponed as the collation of results was still ongoing.
He added that the results for the Etche LGA, along with those of the 319 councillorship seats, would be announced at a later time.
The election, held on October 5, 2024, came amidst accusations of violence, intimidation, and a disrupted political atmosphere in Rivers State.
The ICIR reports that the Rivers State election had been a subject of intense political drama, leading to heightened tensions in the build-up to the poll.
Earlier today, The ICIR reported that the voting process began following a series of back-and-forths before to the election.
The exercise began as RSIEC insisted there was no going back on the election, despite a Federal High Court in Abuja stopping it.
The ICIR also reported how an explosion rocked the All Progressives Congress (APC) secretariat in Port Harcourt just hours before the election.
The incident caused damage to the building’s main gate and security post, with videos showing the aftermath circulating on social media.
While reacting to the incident, the APC caretaker committee chairman, Tony Okocha, blamed Fubara’s supporters for the attack.
Okocha in a message sent to journalists in the state, accused the governor’s supporters of orchestrating the explosion to intimidate opposition forces and disrupt the electoral process.
Some voters in Port Harcourt, at Ward 19 Elekahia accused police officers of firing shots and using teargas at the collation center.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M