Kehinde Fajobi
Tensions flared at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Thursday as protesters gathered in large numbers, causing a disruption in the area ahead of the upcoming Local Government election on October 5, 2024.
The crowd, which swelled quickly, prompted security forces to intervene, managing the congestion and maintaining order, according to reports from Channels Television.
The unrest comes amid mounting concerns over the delayed release of the 2023 Voters’ Register by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja had on September 30, 2024, issued a ruling barring INEC from releasing the voters’ register to RSIEC due to ongoing legal challenges.
Despite this court decision, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara reassured the public that the election would proceed as planned.
He expressed confidence that the Supreme Court’s earlier ruling, which mandated all states to have democratically elected local government executives, bolstered his stance.