Protesters swarm RSIEC office, insist on Rivers LG poll
Protesters gathered at the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) office in Port Harcourt early Friday, October 4, 2024, demanding that the scheduled local government area (LGA) election proceed as planned. The election is set for October 5 across the state’s 23 LGAs.
Chanting solidarity songs and holding banners, the protesters set up canopies despite the rain and blocked parts of the road.
READ ALSO: Police serving one mans interest to scuttle Rivers LG polls, Gov Fubara alerts (Videos)
The protest follows a visit by Governor Siminalayi Fubara to the RSIEC office earlier that morning, where he asserted that nothing would stop the LGA election from happening.
Security forces had previously blocked the RSIEC office, but left after Fubara’s visit, which included lawmakers and government officials.
The Rivers police command, however, stated that its officers would not provide security for the election, citing a federal high court order.
Governor Fubara criticized the police presence, accusing Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), of taking orders from Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The tension between Fubara and Wike has deepened, with the local government election seen as a measure of their political influence at the grassroots level.
This protest follows another on Thursday, when a crowd gathered at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat in Port Harcourt in connection to the LGA election.
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