BY Ebunoluwa Olafusi
The Rivers political elders and leaders forum has urged residents of the state to exercise their civil rights without fears during the Saturday local government council election.
The elders spoke on Friday when they visited Siminalayi Fubara, the governor, in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The leaders include Celestine Omehia, a former governor of the state; Tele Ikuru, former deputy governor; Lee Maeba, a former senator; Austin Opara, a former deputy speaker of the house of representatives; Abiye Sekibo, ex-minister of transport; and Uche Secondus, former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Omehia said the essence of the visit was to encourage the governor to remain steadfast in ensuring a successful council poll.
Omehia said the election was an exercise of the fundamental right of people, adding that “every resident of the state has the right to vote and should express such right”.
He said it was the responsibility of the state election body to organise the poll for the people to choose their leaders at the grassroots.
“The court, especially the supreme court decision empowered him, like any other governor in Nigeria, to conduct the local government election and the local government election is local,” Omehia said.
“It is the responsibility of the state governor and the responsibility of all other well-meaning people of Rivers state to conduct this election.
“We are asking that every indigene of Rivers state and all those who live and do business in Rivers state to come out in their large numbers tomorrow in full support of democracy and vote for the success of the local government election.
“Those who don’t want peace in Rivers state are those who should be declared the enemies of Rivers state.
“Those who do not want the election to hold are not interested in the welfare of Rivers people.”
Omehia added that the group is interested in strengthening democratic principles, and “wants the state to grow in unity”.
“If any person thinks otherwise, those people are the enemies of Rivers state,” he added.
BACKGROUND
The LG poll is scheduled to hold today.
There has been palpable tension in Rivers due to the prolonged turf war between Fubara and Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT).
On September 30, a federal high court in Abuja barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the 2023 voter register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
The court also barred the inspector-general of police and the Department of State Services (DSS) from providing security for the exercise.
On October 2, INEC said it had not released the voter register to RSIEC for the conduct of the election, in deference to the judgment of the federal high court.
On October 3, a crowd besieged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, to protest against the planned local government election.
However, Fubara has vowed to proceed with the election.
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