The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has announced results of the April 17 chairmanship and councillorship election declaring that the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) won all chairmanship and councillorship positions in the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.
RSIEC’s retired Justice Gorge Omeriji who formally released the results on Sunday in Port Harcourt said the exercise was successful without a usual election violence.
Omeriji noted that though losers in any political contest would hardly concede defeat but the peaceful conduct of the April 17 election in the state was unprecedented, attributing the overall success to the role of the media, the government synergy with security agencies and youth leaders across the 23 local government areas.
The chairman also disclosed that the state governor, Nyesom Wike, was proactive from the period of planning for the election which he made sure it was not characterised with violence and malpractices that would result to breach of peace and security.
Also Speaking in an interview, the PDP chairmanship candidate for Eleme Local Government Area, Chief Obari ollormate, confirmed the peaceful conduct of the election in the Eleme industrial-rich area, saying, the Police Command, Eleme and its other divisional police headquarters performed beyond expectation which attracted public commendation.
Ollormate, a two-term caretaker chairman of the local government during Governor Wike’s first tenure in office attested that it is “one chairmanship and councillorship election across the 23 Local Government Areas in Rivers state that has vindicated Governor Wike’s commitment to the general security of the state,” he said.
However, the Rivers state chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and PRO/Publicity Secretary, Nigeria Chairmen Forum, Solsuema Osaro, outrightly condemned the election, describing the exercise as below decency.
“How can we conduct election and result sheets would disappear; hijacking of results characterised the voting with impunity. To us in SDP, the whole exercise was a charade. I am calling for a total conciliation of the election and resignation of the RSIEC chairman, Justice Omeriji if we are to ensure a more credible and decent elections come 2023,” Osaro demanded.
