Rivers LG Poll: APP Wins 22 Chairman Seats

Rivers LG Poll: APP Wins 22 Chairman Seats

The Action People’s Party (APP) has won 22 chairmanship positions out of 23 in the just-concluded local government election in Rivers State.

The Chief Election Officer of the  Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) Adolphus Enebeli declared the results on Saturday in Port Harcourt.

However, the state electoral umpire suspended the declaration of results for Etche Local Government Area (LGA) because the collation is ongoing.

The RSIEC chairman also said that announcement for the 319 councillorship seats will be announced alongside that of the Etche Chairmanship position when collations are concluded.

He described the election as free, fair, and credible, despite all odds. According to him, polls were closed at 3 pm and recorded a large turnout of voters.

Enebeli saluted the patriotism of the residents who turned out to vote.

The declaration of the results was observed by members of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), chairmen of the state’s independent electoral bodies across the country, and members of the Nigerian Bar Association who acted as observers in the polls.

He said the commission “adopted the principle of bi-location because of the exigencies” they found themselves.

The results were announced at the Ministry of Justice Hall at the State Secretariat complex, rather than the Commission’s office on Aba Road.

Saturday’s declaration of results brings to an end a pulsating run to the local government election in the oil-rich state.

Ahead of the exercise, police authorities had said they would not provide security for the election, citing a court order. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was also barred by a court order from presenting the voter register to RSIEC.

That move created ripples in the state, leading to a heightened atmosphere days before the election.

Undeterred, Governor Siminalayi Fubara vowed that the poll would hold and stormed the RSIEC office around 1:00 am on Friday, alleging that police operatives in the state want to thwart the exercise.