The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has announced that preparations are complete for the local government elections scheduled for today, October 5, 2024.
Despite the police authorities in the state stating they will not provide security for the elections due to a court order, RSIEC confirmed late Friday that the election will proceed as planned.
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“For the avoidance of doubt, we emphasize unequivocally that the 5th October 2024 Local Government Council Elections in Rivers State will hold as scheduled, and there is no going back,” RSIEC said in a statement by its Commissioner for Civil Education/Public Affairs Tobin Tamunotonye.
Citing the RSIEC Law of 2018, the judgment of Hon. Justice I.P.C. Igwe from the High Court of Rivers State delivered on September 4, 2024, and the 1999 Constitution, he stated that the agency is authorized to conduct local government elections in the state.
He revealed that the commission has delivered non-sensitive materials to polling units throughout the state, and the updated 2023 voter registers are accessible at all 6,366 polling locations.
RSIEC described the polls as “critical and in line with the order on RSIEC from the Supreme Court of Nigeria,” and emphasised that “voting centres will be open on time as scheduled as materials have been moved to the respective distribution points for all the polling unit and voters registers also released to election staff.”
It also dismissed claims about the resignation of its Chairman Justice Adolphus Enebeli (Retired).
“The above claim is mischievously false, baseless, and a fabricated lie from the pit of Hell calculated to mislead the public. For the avoidance of doubt the Chairman /Chief Electoral Commissioner is still in charge and has not resigned as maliciously circulated across the media space,” the commission said.
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