News Investigators/ The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State has rejected the outcome of the Local Government Elections held on Saturday even as the Governor, Siminalayi Fubara sworn in the 23 elected officials on Sunday.
Similarly the All Progressives Congress (APC) faction in the State also on Sunday rejected the conduct and outcome of the local government election, stating that no election was held in the state on Saturday.
The Rivers PDP loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, described the poll as an exercise in futility, even as it headed for the court.
The swearing in ceremony was held on Sunday at the Executive Council Chamber of the Government House in Port Harcourt,, hours after the chairmen were issued certificates of return by the Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, Adolphus Enebeli.
The Saturday council election, which was marred by explosions and gunfire, was won by the Action Peoples Party which secured 22 out of 23 chairmanship positions, while the Action Alliance candidate won one seat.
The APP also won 314 out of the 319 councillorship seats in the 23 LGAs in the state.
After losing control of the PDP to Mr. Wike, Mr. Fubara’s supporters had moved to the APP, securing chairmanship positions in their local government areas.
Neither the boycott by the PDP and APC factions nor the last minute withdrawal of Police from elections duty could deter Mr. Fubara who vowed the elections must hold.
Speaking to The PUNCH hours after the election winners were sworn in, the state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kenneth Yowika, said the party would challenge the conduct of the poll in court.
‘’We are pressing further through the courts to ensure that justice is done and seen to have been done. So, we do not agree nor do we recognize if any swearing-in is taking place today (Sunday) or tomorrow (Monday),” he asserted.
Yowika said from the beginning, the ruling party in the state had insisted on the Federal High Court judgment barring the conduct of the council poll, pointing out that what the state government did was illegal.
Yowika said, “First of all everything concerning that issue is illegal. We have said it clearly that elections should not be held, you know, relying on the Federal High Court judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu.
“And I had said before this time that any action taken regarding the issue of the local government will be futile because if we say we are a country that stands by the rule of law, then we should not be doing things that are contrary to the law.
“The law had said do things that will be in line with the judgment of the Federal High Court and the Government of the day has not obeyed that.
“So, we are a law-abiding party. We are not going to come out physically to begin to fight. We had a protest yesterday (Saturday) clearly showing that there was no election.
“And we stand by that decision that we have taken that there was no election, and we wait for the judiciary and other arms of government that should put things in proper perspective to act. We continue to hold on that there was no election.”
Continuing, he said, “We visited the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission yesterday and clearly, the world saw that there was no election there. So, we stand by the ruling of the Federal High Court which said that that election should not go on.
“Well, they went ahead to do whatever charade people saw and that is not acceptable by the Peoples Democratic Party. Like we said we are a law-abiding party, and we stand to remain that.”
Similarly, Chibuike Ikenga, Publicity Secretary of the Tony Okocha-led APC insisted on the Federal High Court judgement which restrained the state government from conducting the poll.
-With additional report from Punch