The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has announced that the local government elections scheduled for Saturday will be held irrespective of the events unfolding.
Naijaonpoint recalls that the Nigerian Police Force had issued a statement on Friday declaring the withdrawal of its personnel from the electoral process following a ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja that halted the elections.
However, in a statement released in Port Harcourt on Saturday morning by Pastor Tamunotonye Tobins, the Commissioner responsible for Civic Education and Public Affairs, RSIEC affirmed that the elections would take place as planned.
Tobins indicated that the commission has successfully delivered non-sensitive materials to polling units throughout the state.
He also mentioned that the updated 2023 voter register is accessible at all 6,366 polling units within the state.
Tobins emphasized the significance of the electoral exercise, highlighting that it aligns with the directive issued to RSIEC by the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Rivers State Governor, Siminialayi Fubara, expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, early on Friday, following an incident at the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RISIEC) office.
The Governor, who arrived at the RISIEC premises at around 1 a.m. with government officials, was responding to reports that armed police officers had taken control of the electoral commission’s facility.
Governor Fubara was visibly upset and directly criticized the IGP for what he described as an unjustified police deployment.
According to the Governor, police officers stationed to safeguard the RISIEC office were withdrawn by a Deputy Commissioner of Operations, leaving room for another team of officers to take over.
Fubara expressed his frustration, accusing the police of overstepping their boundaries.
He further referenced a court ruling, emphasizing that it did not prohibit the holding of elections but only restricted access to the voter register.
Refusing to back down, Fubara asserted that the election would proceed as scheduled, even without police security.