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… As Peterside Rejects ‘Sham Election’
The governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike has sworn-in the 23 council chairmen that emerged from the June 16, 2018 local government elections conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
This is even as the deputy leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Dr Dakuku Peterside, has described the election as a sham.
Swearing-in the council chairmen at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Monday June 18, 2018, Governor Wike charged them to prioritise payment of salaries, promotion of security and environmental sanitation.
He said: “Now that you have emerged through a credible process, you must prioritise payment of salaries. This is key as no excuses will be tolerated. Council money is for salaries, development of the areas and security. You should endeavour to leave legacies of development across the state. Make a difference through the development of your local government areas.”
He advised the new council chairmen to work closely with security agencies in their local government areas.
“You must create avenues of cooperation with all the security agencies. That will help you create the right environment for development to take place in your areas”, he said.
The governor particularly charged the chairmen of Akuku-Toru, Asari-Toru and Degema to develop the right platforms to ensure that their communities are safe, while challenging those of Port Harcourt City, Obio/Akpor, Ikwerre, Oyigbo and Eleme local government areas to take urgent steps to ensure they clean specific areas of their councils.
Wike urged the council chairmen to work amicably with their councilors to avoid unnecessary conflicts that can cripple their councils.
On the conduct of the council elections, the governor commended the security agencies for providing security for the peaceful and credible conduct of the polls, and also commended the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission for conducting free, fair and credible polls.
In a release last Saturday, however deputy leader of the All Progressives Congress in the state, Dr Dakuku Peterside said “the massive low turnout that characterized the controversial local government election in the state on Saturday is a clear sign that Governor Nyesom Wike’s treachery has expired and that the people are only waiting for 2019 to boot the governor out of office.”
Peterside said several members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) called him, accusing the governor of manipulating everything, including changing the names of some candidates at the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
“Nyesom Wike’s one-party ‘election’ witnessed the lowest turnout of voters in the annals of Rivers State election, just as a heavy downpour disrupted the selection across the wide spectrum of the state,” he said.
Peterside noted that despite the fact that only PDP contested the election “against some imaginary opponents, the RSIEC still connived with the ruling party to inflate figures even in the governor’s home local government where voters chose to stay at home.
“This is the first time a sitting governor has conducted local government election and his own party members are disenchanted with the process. Very many of his party members were reportedly angry at the way and manner the governor has held everybody hostage.
“The governor himself was so disappointed that he was seen driving round Obio/Akpor local government urging people to come and vote for his party just to prove he has support. Even several radio stations that ran live programmes all reported low turnouts in many local government areas, while others never saw materials before the close of time. How better can a people reject the governor? His party members did not even care much, much more other discerning Rivers people,” he said.
According to results of the election declared on Sunday night, June 17, 2018 by chairman of the RSIEC, Justice Chukwunenye Uriri (rtd.) PDP won all the 23 LG chairmanship seats in the state.
