Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has lashed out at the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike over his recent outbursts on the just concluded local government election in the state.
Wike had in an interview on Tuesday expressed resentment on the move by the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara to conduct the Saturday election despite a court judgement.
Recall that Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja had in a judgement declared that the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, violated requisite provisions by not publishing the mandatory 90 days notice before fixing the date for the election.
The court barred the Independent National Electoral Commission from releasing the voter register to RSIEC for the conduct of the election.
Justice Lifu also barred the Inspector General of Police and the Department of State Service, DSS, from providing security for the polls.
The judgment followed the suit brought before the judge by the state chapter of APC, faulting RSIEC’s move to fix October 5 for the polls.
But the election was held on Saturday as directed by Governor Fubara.
The governor’s loyalists who contested the chairmanship positions under the platform of the Action Peoples Party, APP, won in 22 out of the 23 LGAs in the state.
The state has recorded a series of violent clashes between supporters of Wike and Fubara during and after the poll.
On Monday, arsonists alleged to be Wike’s supporters set the Ikwerre Local Government secretariat ablaze.
There were gunshots in some other secretariats following moves by some political thugs to prevent the newly elected council bosses from gaining access to their offices.
Wike, in his first public reaction to the controversies, accused Fubara of derailing Nigerian democracy by refusing to obey the court judgement.
The former governor also alleged that Fubara’s move to remove the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Martin Amaewhule triggered the unending crisis.
However, in a swift response, PDP in the state urged the Minister and his supporters to seek redress in court if they were not okay with the election.
Sydney Gbara, the PDP publicity secretary in Rivers State wondered why those who were eagerly agitating for the election were now against it.
“Where has Governor Fubara gone wrong? The Supreme Court has given judgement prohibiting caretaker committees and said every state should have elected LG Chairmen and they have a time frame of 90 days or else the state will not get allocation.
“Governor Fubara is just being obedient to the Supreme Court judgment. Anyone who wants to truncate the process does not mean well for Rivers people.”
Sydney Gbara described Fubara as a hero, stressing that “he will continue to be our hero for standing firm to ensure that democracy stands in Rivers State.
