Rivers: Wike camp heads for court as Fubara swears in LG chairmen

The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday rejected the conduct and outcome of the local government election, stating that no election was held in the state on Saturday.

The Rivers PDP, which is loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, denounced the poll as a futile exercise and promised to fight it in court.

The Wike camp made this statement when Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara swore in the newly elected council chairmen of the state’s 23 local government areas.

The exercise was done on Sunday at the Executive Council Chamber of the Government House in Port Harcourt, the state capital, hours after Adolphus Enebeli, Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, gave certificates of return to the chairmen.

The Action Peoples Party won the Saturday council election, which was plagued by explosions and violence, with 22 of the 23 chairperson positions, while the Action Alliance candidate gained one seat.

The APP also won 314 of the 319 councillorship seats in the state’s 23 local government areas. The experiment was hampered by Fubara’s ongoing power battle with his predecessor, Wike.

After losing control of the PDP to Wike, Fubara’s supporters defected to the APP, gaining chairmanships in respective local government districts.

Hours after the election winners were sworn in, Kenneth Yowika, the PDP’s state publicity secretary, told reporters that the party would challenge the poll’s conduct in court.

‘’We are pressing further through the courts to ensure that justice is done and seen to have been done. So, we do not agree nor do we recognise if any swearing-in is taking place today (Sunday) or tomorrow (Monday),” he asserted.

Yowika stated that from the beginning, the ruling party in the state had insisted on the Federal High Court judgement barring the conduct of the council poll, pointing out that what the state government did was illegal.

Yowika said, “First of all, everything concerning that issue is illegal. We have said it clearly that elections should not be held, you know, relying on the Federal High Court judgement delivered by Justice Peter Lifu.

“And I had said before this time that any action taken regarding the issue of the local government will be futile because if we say we are a country that stands by the rule of law, then we should not be doing things that are contrary to the law.

“The law had said do things that will be in line with the judgement of the Federal High Court, and the government of the day has not obeyed that.

“So, we are a law-abiding party. We are not going to come out physically to begin to fight. We had a protest yesterday (Saturday), clearly showing that there was no election.

“And we stand by that decision that we have taken that there was no election, and we wait for the judiciary and other arms of government that should put things in proper perspective to act. We continue to hold on that there was no election.”

Continuing, he said, “We visited the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission yesterday, and clearly, the world saw that there was no election there. So, we stand by the ruling of the Federal High Court, which said that that election should not go on.

“Well, they went ahead to do whatever charade people saw, and that is not acceptable by the People’s Democratic Party. Like we said, we are a law-abiding party, and we stand to remain that.”

Similarly, Chibuike Ikenga, Publicity Secretary of the Chief Tony Okocha-led APC, insisted on the Federal High Court judgement, which restrained the state government from conducting the poll.

Ikenga also said the swearing-in of the election winners ‘is neither here nor there,’ saying the party is pressing further through with the law.

“As a party, we insist on obeying the decisions of the Federal High Court under Justice Peter Lifu. And that is the reason why we did not acknowledge that any election ever took place. But the government is known for disobedience of court orders that went ahead. So, they are on their own.

“Our position is that you cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand. So, whether anybody has been sworn in or not is secondary; we are not aware, and we are not interested in whether it is taking place today (Sunday) or tomorrow (Monday).

“We are pressing further through the courts to ensure that justice is done and seen to have been done. So, we do not agree, nor do we recognise if any swearing-in is taking place today or tomorrow,’’ he stated.

Speaking on whether the party will return to the court based on the latest developments, he said, ‘’The state government already took the matter to the Court of Appeal, where they asked for a stay, and the stay was refused. So, the matter is on at the Court of Appeal.”

However, the APC faithful to former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi expressed delight with the election results and stated that they will not fight them.

Chizi Enyi, the Chief of Staff to APC Chairman Emeka Beke, stated that the party did not lose out because it gained a councillor position.

“The APC won the council slot. We are satisfied with the election held. Our biggest worry was those who said the election should not be held. So, we accept the outcome, and we will not litigate it,” he said.

Sydney Gbara, the Rivers State Commissioner for Environment and immediate past Publicity Secretary of the PDP, was likewise pleased with the election, characterising it as the most free and fair in the state’s history.

Gbara said, “Yes, I’m very satisfied, and I can tell you that this is the freest, fairest, and most peaceful election that has been conducted in Rivers State so far. The most striking thing about the election is that there was no police security yet everywhere was peaceful. That is the most interesting thing about the election.

“This is the best election that Rivers people came all out to participate in because they know that their future depends on yesterday’s election.”

When asked why he was so delighted despite the fact that his party did not win a single spot, he stated that the state’s interests come first.

Gbara stated, “It is unfortunate that my party withdrew from the contest, but as a Rivers man, the interest of the state supersedes any other interest, any personal, individual, or group interest.

“For me, it is a step of liberation for the Rivers people, and it is a day we have all been waiting for.”