In a dramatic turn of events early Friday morning, Rivers State Governor Sir Siminalayi Fubara personally intervened to stop what he described as an attempt by the Nigerian Police to interfere with Saturday’s scheduled local government elections in the state.
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According to government sources, at approximately 1:00 AM on Friday, October 4th, 2024, a group of police officers led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) attempted to forcibly enter the offices of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC). The officers allegedly tried to access the commission’s strong room to remove sensitive electoral materials intended for use in Saturday’s polls.
The attempt was thwarted when alert security personnel at the RSIEC office notified commission officials and the governor’s office of the unfolding situation. Governor Fubara quickly mobilized a response team including his chief of staff, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, state and national lawmakers, and other key officials and stakeholders.
The governor and his delegation arrived at the RSIEC headquarters to confront the police directly. Eyewitnesses reported seeing two police trucks and two Hilux vehicles at the scene. As of press time, the governor’s team was still at the commission’s offices to ensure that police did not return and that election preparations could proceed unimpeded.
In a brief statement, Governor Fubara denounced the actions of the police as “an assault on our democracy” and vowed that “the will of the people of Rivers State will not be subverted.” The police have not yet issued an official response to the governor’s accusations.
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The incident has raised tensions in the state capital on the eve of the highly anticipated local government elections.
As of now, the RSIEC has reiterated its commitment to conducting free and fair elections as scheduled on Saturday. However, the situation remains fluid.
This confrontation comes on the heels of a series of legal battles surrounding the elections. On Monday, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja once again barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voters’ register to RSIEC for the October 5th polls.
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Justice Lifu issued the order while delivering judgment on a suit brought by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State. He criticized RSIEC for setting the election date without adhering to relevant laws, particularly failing to publish the mandatory 90-day notice. The judge also ruled that updating and revising the voters’ register should have been completed before a valid date could be set.
Consequently, Justice Lifu ordered INEC not to release the certified voters’ register to RSIEC until all legal requirements had been met. He barred RSIEC from accepting or using any voters’ register from INEC for the election and prohibited the Inspector General of Police and Department of State Services from providing security.
However, the State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt had previously issued an order mandating RSIEC, the state government, and Governor Fubara to conduct the elections on October 5th. This order came in response to a suit filed by the Action Peoples Party (APP).
Presiding Judge L.P.C Igwe ruled that based on Section 7(1) of the Constitution, the expiration of the tenure of the former elected local government councils on June 17th, 2024, and the Supreme Court’s July 11th decision, the defendants were bound to hold the elections within three months. The court also stated that RSIEC was entitled to use INEC’s national register of voters from the 2023 general elections.
Meanwhile, our correspondent gathered that some government officials, stakeholders, and supporters are presently keeping vigil at the facility.
Efforts to reach the state Police Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, proved abortive as her mobile was not connecting.
She had yet to reply to a text message sent to our reporter as of the time of filing this report on Friday morning.
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