THERE is currently heavy presence of security across Rivers State, as residents trooped out to participate in the local government elections held today, Saturday, August 30, across the state.
The polls are being conducted in all 23 council areas, covering 319 wards and 6,866 polling units.
Security agencies had earlier staged a show of force in Port Harcourt, the state capital, and other big cities on Friday, August 29.
The convoy was led on Friday by the Nigeria Police Force. It included personnel of the Army, Navy, Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety Corps, and other sister agencies, aimed at reassuring residents of safety.
Commenting on security for the poll, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Olugbenga Adepoju, said there were adequate measures in place to secure lives and property before, during, and after the elections.
“Our deployment of personnel and logistics will ensure a free, safe, and credible process,” he stated.
On his part, the chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), Michael Odey, assured voters of the timely distribution of election materials, including in riverine areas, while urging residents to conduct themselves peacefully.
A restriction of movement order between midnight and 6 a.m. was announced on Friday to prevent disruptions.
The polls are taking place under emergency rule, with Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired naval chief, serving as sole administrator of the state following the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, a professor, in March.
Fubara was suspended amid a political crisis between him and his predecessor, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The election is coming six months after the Supreme Court voided the October 2024 polls earlier conducted by RSIEC under Fubara’s leadership.
Analysts say today’s elections carry significant political weight, as the results could influence the state’s direction ahead of the 2027 governorship race.
As of press time, voting was ongoing in several polling stations, with security operatives maintaining visibility in identified flashpoints.
In the last LG election that was cancelled by the Supreme Court, tension intensified when the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) said it would not provide security for local council elections held on October 5, 2024.
The State Police command announced its withdrawal from the exercise in a statement posted on its Facebook page and shared on its X handle on Friday, October 4.
The state went ahead to conduct the poll, and the African People’s Party (APP) won 22 out of the 23 local government chairmanship seats in the election.
Fubara’s preferred candidates were victorious in the poll marred by controversies and security challenges.
A reporter with the ICIR
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