Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has declared Thursday, October 3, and Friday, October 4, as public holidays.
This is to enable residents travel to their communities in preparation for the Local Government elections scheduled for Saturday, October 5, 2024.
In a statewide broadcast from the Government House in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, Fubara announced a restriction on vehicular movement from midnight on Friday, October 4, until 5:00 pm on election day.
According to him, the measures were necessary to ensure smooth and peaceful elections.
Fubara outlined the rationale behind the local government elections, noting that the tenures of the chairmen and councillors of the 23 local government councils expired on June 17, 2023.
“I lawfully constituted caretaker committees to temporarily administer the 23 local government areas pending when the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, would conduct the elections,” he said.
He referenced the Supreme Court’s July 11, 2024 judgment, which prohibited the administration of local governments by unelected officers, and ordered an immediate halt to statutory allocations for such councils.
“Following Mr President’s intervention, the period for compliance with the Supreme Court’s judgment was graciously extended by three months, which will expire on the 31st of October 2024,” the governor explained.
Governor Fubara further disclosed that RSIEC had made all necessary arrangements to conduct the elections on October 5, 2024, as directed.
He added that a Rivers State High Court judgment delivered on September 4, 2024, also mandated the conduct of the elections, using the 2023 INEC voter register.
“As of today, RSIEC has expressed and demonstrated concrete and verifiable capacity and readiness to conduct the 2024 Rivers State Local Government Elections on the 5th of October 2024,” Fubara said.
