The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has announced that local government elections will be held on October 5.
This follows the release of the commission’s guidelines for conducting the elections on Monday.
The announcement comes against the backdrop of ongoing leadership crises in the local government areas (LGAs) of the state. The police have maintained a presence at the LGA council secretariats to manage the situation.
The tenure of the elected chairmen and councillors of the 23 LGAs recently expired. In response, Governor Sir Siminialayi Fubara inaugurated Caretaker Committees to manage the LGAs until the elections are conducted.
This move has sparked protests from the outgoing chairmen, who are loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike.
They argue that their tenure had been extended by six months by the Martins Amaewhule-led State Assembly under the repealed Local Government Administration law of the state.
RSIEC has engaged with leaders of political parties and major stakeholders to ensure the smooth conduct of the upcoming elections.