Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has declared Thursday, October 3, and Friday, October 4, 2024, as public holidays to allow residents to travel to their communities for the upcoming local government elections scheduled for Saturday, October 5, News360 Nigeria reports.
In addition to the public holidays, Governor Fubara also announced a strict restriction on vehicular movement from midnight on Friday, October 4, until 5 p.m. on Election Day, aiming to ensure a peaceful and orderly election process.
The governor made this declaration during a statewide broadcast from the Government House in Port Harcourt.
The announcement was also confirmed in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary, Nelson Chukwudi, which was shared with journalists.
The statement read, “My dear people of Rivers State, following the expiration of the three-year tenure of the Chairmen and Councilors of the 23 Local Government Councils on June 17, 2023, I lawfully instituted Caretaker Committees to temporarily administer the councils pending the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission’s conduct of Local Government elections.”
He highlighted a Supreme Court ruling, delivered in July 2024, which outlawed the administration of local government councils by unelected officers.
The judgement mandated an immediate halt to statutory allocations to councils without democratically elected officials.
“With Mr. President’s intervention, the period for compliance with the Supreme Court’s judgement was extended by three months, which expires on October 31, 2024,” the governor said.
Based on this extension, Fubara directed RSIEC to make definitive plans to conduct the local government elections across the state.
He confirmed that the electoral body had completed all necessary preparations for the elections, which would take place on October 5, 2024.
“The legal standing of RSIEC to conduct these elections was further solidified by a Rivers State High Court judgement on September 4, 2024, which directed the use of the 2023 Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Voters’ Register,” the Governor added.
Fubara emphasized that 17 out of the 18 registered political parties, including the All Progressives Congress, had demonstrated their willingness to participate in the elections by submitting candidates.
“Over 10 states have conducted local government elections using the 2023 INEC Voters’ Register since the Supreme Court’s judgement, and Rivers State cannot be an exception,” he said.