Rivers LG Polls: How APP Won 22 Out Of 23 Chairmanship Positions

The Action People’s Party (APP) has won 22 chairmanship positions out of 23 in the just-concluded local government election in Rivers State.

The Chief Electoral Officer of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) Adolphus Enebeli declared the results on Saturday in Port Harcourt.

However, the state electoral umpire suspended the declaration of results for Etche Local Government Area (LGA) because the collation is ongoing.

The RSIEC chairman also said that announcement for the 319 councillorship seats will be announced alongside that of the Etche Chairmanship position when collations are concluded.

He described the election as free, fair, and credible, despite all odds. According to him, polls were closed at 3 pm and recorded a large turnout of voters.

Enebeli saluted the patriotism of the residents who turned out to vote.

The declaration of the results was observed by members of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), chairmen of the state’s independent electoral bodies across the country, and members of the Nigerian Bar Association who acted as observers in the polls.

He said the commission “adopted the principle of bi-location because of the exigencies” they found themselves.

The results were announced at the Ministry of Justice Hall at the State Secretariat complex, rather than the Commission’s office on Aba Road.

Explosions, Protests, Gunshots
On election day, two explosions rocked the state. Police authorities confirmed that one of the incidents happened earlier on Saturday.

“The first explosion was reported at the APC Secretariat on Aba Road at approximately 3:00 am. A security guard reported hearing a loud bang and, upon investigation, observed three black Toyota Hilux vans speeding away from the scene,” the spokesperson of the Rivers State Police Command Grace Iringe-Koko said, adding that the incidents are being investigated.

“The explosion caused significant damage, destroying the gate and shattering the windows of the building. Additionally, the security building was set ablaze. The second explosion occurred at the Obio/Akpor Council secretariat around 3:30 am. Eyewitnesses reported seeing a black Toyota Hilux van and a white Toyota Sienna minivan drive past the secretariat.”

Gunshots were equally reported in some parts of Port Harcourt, the state capital. Some unidentified persons who rode in a black Toyota Corolla were spotted firing gunshots around the Wimpy area of the state which is a stone’s throw from the home of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike.

Some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had earlier in the week protested against the conduct of the election and had stormed the Department of State Security office and the Government House both in Port Harcourt to register their demand.