Rivers State police have stated that they will not provide security for Saturday’s local elections, citing Federal High Court orders of 19 July and 30 September. The Nigeria Police Force has been advised by its legal department to comply with these orders, as the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered a judgment prohibiting the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies from participating in the Local Government Election on September 30, 2024. The police spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, stated that the Nigeria Police Force is dedicated to maintaining law and order and will not stand idly by in the face of potential disturbances.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara visited the headquarters of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) where he allegedly foiled an attempt by the police to “cart away” sensitive materials meant for the conduct of Saturday’s election. Tension has been building in the oil-rich state over Governor Fubara’s insistence on conducting the local election despite opposition from his predecessor, Nyesom Wike. Wike, the minister of FCT, has been engaged in an endless rift with Fubara over control of the state’s political structure.
On Thursday, Wike’s loyalists in the PDP and a faction of the APC held a combined protest against the elections. However, Fubara insisted that the election would be held to prevent the state from defaulting on the Supreme Court’s judgement, which barred the federal government from funding local governments run by appointed officials.
In addition to the Supreme Court order, Governor Fubara also stated that RSIEC has an order from a High Court in the state to go ahead with the election, based on the governor’s statement that the election will be held on Saturday as scheduled.
