The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lashed out at Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, over his criticism of the just-concluded local government election.
Wike has expressed disappointment about Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s decision to hold the election despite a court judgment.
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Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) violated the law by not publishing the mandatory 90-day notice before fixing the election date.
The court barred the Independent National Electoral Commission from releasing the voter register and prohibited the Inspector General of Police and the Department of State Service from providing security for the polls.
However, Governor Fubara went ahead with the election, and his loyalists, contesting under the Action Peoples Party, won in 22 out of 23 Local Government Areas.
Sydney Gbara, PDP’s Publicity Secretary in Rivers State, responded, “We are aware that no court judgment can stop an electoral process. What we know is that if you are not okay with an election, you can approach the court after it is conducted. So they should go to court.”
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Gbara questioned Wike’s supporters, “Let me take Nigerians back, conducting the local government election was one of the items on the presidential peace proclamation made by President Bola Tinubu in 2023. They (Wike and his supporters) have been willing to see the election conducted.
“At one point, they even instructed the assembly that if Fubara refuses to conduct the election, he should be impeached. It is now surprising that when the RSIEC drew out the timetable for the election, they are now doing everything possible to stop it.”
Gbara emphasized, “This is where the conversation should start from and not whether there was a court judgment or not.”
“In fact, it got to a point where the assembly elongated the tenure of the previous LG Chairmen, and that was the first of its kind in the history of Nigerian democracy. Now the governor said he is ready for the election, and the same people are now speaking from the other side of their mouths, saying the election should not be held.”
He queried, “Where has Governor Fubara gone wrong? The Supreme Court has given judgment prohibiting caretaker committees and said every state should have elected LG Chairmen and they have a time frame of 90 days or else the state will not get allocation.
“Governor Fubara is just being obedient to the Supreme Court judgment. Anyone who wants to truncate the process does not mean well for Rivers people.”
Gbara described Fubara as a hero, saying, “He will continue to be our hero for standing firm to ensure that democracy stands in Rivers State.
“Innocent people were killed in cold blood, all in a bid to frustrate the electoral process. The truth is that they came late because Rivers people have decided to move on with Fubara.”
