The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has asked political parties and candidates dissatisfied with the outcome of Saturday’s local government elections to approach the courts for redress.

Naijaonpoint reports that RSIEC Chairman, Michael Odey, while presenting certificates of return to winners of the polls, said the law had provided clear channels for complaints and urged stakeholders to embrace peace.

“The candidates, who may feel aggrieved, the law has provided a channel for redress. We encourage the use of lawful and peaceful process. As a commission, we shall conduct a post-election review to consolidate lessons learnt and to keep improving our systems and service delivery,” Odey stated.

Addressing the newly elected chairmen and councillors, Odey warned them against seeing victory as a personal prize.

“This certificate of return are not only trophies of triumph, they are mandates for service. To our newly elected chairmen and councillors, govern with humility, transparency and fidelity to the law. Be leader to all, supporters and non-supporters alike. The winner-takes-it-all politics has no place in local governance,” he said.

He commended community leaders, security agencies, civil society organisations, and the media for their “vigilance and dedication,” which, according to him, ensured the exercise was peaceful and credible.

Wike, Obi Clash Over Polls

Meanwhile, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed criticisms of the polls, saying the elections had not been declared illegal by any court.

But former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, faulted the exercise, describing it as tragic and “a mockery of democracy.”

The Labour Party also called for urgent electoral and judicial reforms, alleging that the polls showed how “absurdity has been elevated to statecraft by the APC and the government it leads.”

Similarly, the Chief Executive Officer of TAF Africa, Jake Epelle, condemned the elections, calling them a “democratic scam,” arguing they were unconstitutional since they were conducted by what he described as a government that was “not democratically elected.”

Naijaonpoint reports that despite the arguments, the Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ikot Ibas (retd), has swore in the 23 elected council chairmen at the Government House, Port Harcourt.

In his charge, Ibas told the chairmen that their victory was a call to serve.

“This victory is not a prize to be enjoyed. It is a burden to be carried. It is not an entitlement, but a duty. It is not a call to self-interest, but to selfless service,” he said.

Ibas urged them to deliver measurable services that will improve lives at the grassroots, insisting that leadership must go beyond “the politics of patronage.”

He hailed the peaceful conduct of the elections as “a decisive step towards reinstating constitutional order” and proof that “democracy belongs to the people, that power must flow from the consent of the governed, and that no obstacle can weaken the resolve of a united citizenry.”