…set Council Secretariat ablaze
…5 persons feared dead
By Caleb Ishaya
After conclusion of the much talked about Council Elections and the subsequent swearing in of newly-elected local government chairmen and chairpersons by Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Sunday, has yesterday snowballed and degenerated crisis as political thugs unleashed mayhem following the ceremony.
AljazirahNigeria correspondent in Port Harcourt reports that thugs in the early hours of yesterday , after the Nigerian Police withdrew from the entrances of all the LGAs attacked the Obio/Akpor, Ikwerre, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Eleme, and Emohua local government council Secretariat and set offices on fire as well as engaged in shootings that led to at least five fatalities.
AljazirahNigeria reports that the local government elections that were conducted last weekend saw the
Action People’s Party, APP, a not too popular party but also known as in a local dramatic parlance ” Gwo Gwo Gwo Ngwo”, gained traction among the people and won in 22 out of 23 LGs signifying a landslide victory against the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and All Progressives Congress, APC.
The thugs torched a section of the Eleme Local Government secretariat shortly after newly-elected Chairman, Brian Gokpa, arrived in company of his councillors.
It would be recalled that LGs Secretariats in the state were sealed since June, following the expiration of the tenure of the past LG Chairmen which generated political rivalry between Gov Fubara and his predecessor, now the Minister, Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike.
The Rivers State Police Command, in a statement, confirmed the decision to unseal the Secretariat based on directives from the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
The closures forced caretaker chairmen appointed by Fubara to operate from alternative locations but the new political controversy was as a result of Gov Fubara and his supporters played a fast one , abandoned the State PDP structure to former gov Wike and embraced the APP platform to contest the LG elections . However, the APC and PDP members loyal to Mr Wike claimed to have secured a Federal High Court judgement siting in Abuja stopping the LG elections from holding , ordered the Police to withdraw services and the INEC not to release the voters register to the Rivers State Electoral Commission, RSIEC.
Not satisfied with the judgement, the incumbent Governor , Sim Fubara insisted that the LG elections must hold because the ” No Court in Nigeria has the constitutional backing to stop election” . The Governor said, assuming we concede, the court didn’t expressly ordered that RSIEC should not conduct elections but directed the INEC and Police not to participate which they both promised to obey and they obeyed”.
Newly deployed Commissioner of Police, Bala Mustapha, relayed the IGP’s order to withdraw police personnel stationed at the Secretariat to ensure neutrality.
It was gathered that in Khana Local Government, one person was reported killed during sporadic gunfire on the road leading to the Rector’s Lodge.
Besides, the thugs also unleashed mayhem in Obio/Akpor, where bottles were thrown during a confrontation but police successfully contained the situation.
Members of the PDP and the APP, clashed in a protest at Khana council secretariat, following the withdrawal of police from the area.
In Ikwerre, unknown gunmen eyewitnesses said chased the newly-elected chairman and his supporters out of the secretariat.
Pro-Wike supporters it was gathered have taken over the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Secretariat, preventing the pro-Governor Fubara council chairman from accessing the office. The thugs were chanting “without Wike , No election” .
However, in Oyigbo council, Executive Chairman, Dr. Gift Okere, has taken control of the council secretariat. Administrative activities commenced immediately following the swearing in of the vice-chairman and 10 elected councillors.
As at the time of filling this report, there were no comment from Rivers State Police Command on the situation and no arrest have been made so far.
Before the elections on October 5, Fubara openly dared the Police and indeed the Inspector General in his statewide broadcast that there was no going back on the elections despite the Commissioner of Police in the State, asking all Area Commanders, ACs, Tactical Commanders, TCs, and Divisional Police Officers, DPOs to withdraw their officers from election duty.
SP Grace Iringe-Koko, the command’s spokesperson, told journalists in Port Harcourt last Friday that the decision followed an order from the Federal High Court.
Ms Iringe-Koko confirmed that the command had begun withdrawing its officers from election duties.
“The court order bars the police from allowing, participating in, providing security for, or taking part in the local government council elections.
“Therefore, all area commanders, divisional police officers, and tactical commanders have been instructed to fully comply with the Federal High Court’s judgement”, she stated.
She further urged other security agencies to observe the court’s ruling.
It would be recalled that the Federal High Court had, on September 30, barred the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from releasing the Voters Register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC.
The court cited RSIEC’s non-compliance with its 2018 law regarding the voters register as reason for the court’s decision to halt the elections.
It further prohibited the police and the State Security Service, SSS, from engaging in the elections.
Despite the court ruling, RSIEC remains determined to proceed with the elections.
RSIEC Chairman, Justice Adolphus Enebeli (Retd) referenced a ruling by the State High Court mandating the Commission to continue the elections.
Addressing the legal dispute, the Lawyers in Defence of Democracy and Human Rights argued that the Federal High Court did not have the jurisdiction to prevent RSIEC from conducting the LG polls.
Okere Nnamdi, the group’s convener, clarified that the court was not a court of general jurisdiction, but rather a court of special jurisdiction.
He explained, “The court’s jurisdiction is outlined in Section 2(51), Subsection 1(Q) (R) of the 1999 Constitution.
“RSIEC is not a Federal Government agency, but an agency of the Rivers State Government.
“Therefore, the Federal High Court cannot issue an injunctive order to stop RSIEC from conducting local government elections.
Mr Nnamdi also pointed out that RSIEC had a constitutional role to conduct local government elections, as empowered by Paragraph 4, Part 2 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution.
He emphasised that the States Independent Electoral Commission, SIECs, are autonomous bodies established by Section 197 of the 1999 Constitution, under the authority of the state governments.
“It is only the Rivers State High Court that can restrain RSIEC from conducting local government elections”, he insisted.
