Author: Emmanuel Obe

The local government election in Rivers State on Saturday was generally peaceful despite the tension that preceded it.Though the police had said they would not participate in the election in compliance with a federal high court order, convoys of armed policemen were moving along the East-West Road. They did not venture into voting areas.Isolated cases of violence were recorded in a few places like All Progressives Congress factional office along Aba Road in Port Harcourt, where an explosive was reported to have been thrown at the building.A case of violence was also reported at Igwuruta in Ikwerre Local Government Area,…

The South-South Zonal Chairman of the Labour Party, Prince Favour Reuben, and the Rivers State Chairman of the party, Hilda Dokubo have expressed divergent views about the credibility of the October 5 local government election. While Dokubo said the election was peaceful and credible, Reuben said the election was hijacked by things and government agents. Dokubo, who voted at Asari Toru Local Government Area, said from how the election was conducted, there was no reason for anyone to protest against the election. “Participating in the election was the right thing to do to move forward,” she told Classic FM. She…

Austin Opara, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State has condemned what he said has been the role of the police in the current political crisis in Rivers State. Speaking on Saturday’s local government election in the state, the former House of Representatives’ deputy speaker said it was a constitutional breach for the police to recuse themselves from the election. He however commended the general peaceful conduct of the election, which he said was “very peaceful and massive in my area in Port Harcourt”. Opara said the police…

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has assured the people of the state that the local government elections scheduled for Saturday, October 5, 2024 is “sacrosanct” and nothing will stop it.The governor gave the assurance Friday morning during a press conference he called at Government House to respond to the reported police invasion of the state office of Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission in the early hours of Friday, October 4. Fubara, who said he had to personally intervene to stop the police from “stealing” sensitive election materials, condemned the action of the police and wondered what interest they were pursuing…

Thousands of supporters of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, on Thursday staged a protest march in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, against the local government elections holding in the state on Saturday. The protesters, who are largely members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, marched according to their local government areas and caused traffic jams along Aba Road, the main artery of the city. They called on the Chairman of Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RISIEC, Hon. Justice Adolphus Enebeli, and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to obey the Abuja High Court order, which directed that…

Senator Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has won in the six local government areas of Edo North senatorial zone in the result declared so far in the 2024 governorship election. Okpebholo also won in two out of the five local government areas in Edo Central Senatorial zone and three of the five local government areas declared in Edo South senatorial zone. Okpebholo is trailed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Asue Ighodalo, who has won in six local government areas in Edo Central and Edo South senatorial zones. Local government areas won…

Senator Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has won in the six local government areas of Edo North senatorial zone in the result declared so far in the 2024 governorship election. Okpebholo also won in two out of the five local government areas in Edo Central Senatorial zone and three of the five local government areas declared in Edo South senatorial zone. Okpebholo is trailed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Asue Ighodalo, who has won in six local government areas in Edo Central and Edo South senatorial zones. Local government areas won…

The Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Mrs. Ene Obi, has lamented the poor showing of women in Edo Governorship Election. Mrs. Obi, who was speaking on the election that took place on Saturday in Edo State to elect a new governor for the state, said it was sad that of the 18 candidates that contested the election, only one of them was a woman, Ms. Patience Ndidi Key. Ene wondered why it was not possible to find qualified women to contest the election, saying that what happened in Edo State was a setback for a country in the quest to…

The election to decide who becomes the next governor of Edo State took off in most of the centres across the state took off smoothly today with good turnouts recorded at the polling units.There were however a few places where voting materials and personnel arrived late. Voters that spoke with National Point talked about easy accreditation and voting. But they noted that very few Bi-modal verification accreditation system (BIVAS) machines were used and it slowed down the process. Just after the processes started, the rains came down in many places across the state, forcing voters and election personnel to move…

It is almost one year since the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara, stormed the abandoned Songhai Farms in Bunu and Ban Ogoi in Tai local Government Area of the state with the full compliments of his office and promised to revive the farms. Though the visit was widely hailed by the people coming at a time when rising prices of foodstuff and fast declining purchasing power of the people were choking households, there is more to reviving the farms beyond the promise made by the governor. The inflationary trend and economic hardship in the country was occasioned by…