P/HARCOURT (Sundiata Post) – Baring any minute change, Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, will on Sunday (today) swear in the newly elected council chairmen of the 22 local government areas.
The exercise which would be held at the Executive Council Chambers of the Government House in Port Harcourt, the state capital, comes a day after the Rivers State Independent National Electoral Commission (RSIEC) conducted election at the grassroot levels.
RSIEC is expected to issue certificates of return to the newly elected local government chairmen today, thereafter, the governor will swear them in almost immediately.
After an exercise held amid heightened tension, the Action People’s Party (APP) won 22 chairmanship positions out of 23 in the oil-rich state.
However, the state electoral umpire suspended the declaration of results for Etche Local Government Area (LGA) because the collation is ongoing.
The RSIEC chairman, Adolphus Enebeli, who declared the result on Saturday, also said that announcement for the 319 councillorship seats will be announced alongside that of the Etche Chairmanship position when collations are concluded.
He described the election as free, fair, and credible, despite all odds. According to him, polls were closed at 3 pm and recorded a large turnout of voters.
Enebeli saluted the patriotism of the residents who turned out to vote.
The declaration of the results was observed by members of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), chairmen of the state’s independent electoral bodies across the country, and members of the Nigerian Bar Association who acted as observers in the polls.
He said the commission “adopted the principle of bi-location because of the exigencies” they found themselves.
