Rivers Local Govt Election: Wike And His Futile Attempts To Rape Democracy
By Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, 08022049770, [email protected]
..It is heartwarming to note that 17 out of 18 registered political parties, including the All Progressives Congress, have totally and actively expressed their resolve and willingness to participate by filling candidates with RSIEC for the election
If the FCT Minister and his hangers on are swimming in the ocean of pretences not to see, let me trumpet it with a resounding tone into their damaged eardrums that over 10 States in Nigeria have conducted Local Government Council Elections using the 2023 INEC Voters’ Register since the Supreme Court’s judgment. So, Wike must be in the know that Rivers State cannot be an exception, and there is nothing he can do to stop the election. …”
PREAMBLE
To every right thinking Nigerian following the political imbroglio in Rivers State, it is glaring that the situation is a case of an emerging dictator and unrepentant immoralist trying hard to have his way without caring whose ox is gourd.
Succinctly put, the unfolding political quagmire in Rivers State is as a result of the ambition of the former Governor of the Rivers State and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barr. Nyesom Wike, to superimpose himself on the democratically elected Governor of the State, His Excellency, Siminalaye Fubara.
TIME FOR WIKE TO CALL HIMSELF TO ORDER
It is morally debasing, undemocratic and
height of insanity for a man to robe himself with the garment of tyranny, selfishness, wickedness and brazen display of arrogance for personal aggrandizement, just to show power.
Apart from his numerous undemocratic acts and junkyard-style of politics of one leg in APC, the other in PDP, Wike is at it again. This time, the former Governor has mobilized all known and unknown miscreants in Rivers State to work against the conduct of the October 5, Local Government elections in the State. And the question on the lips of well meaning people of Rivers State is; Why is Wike afraid of the conduct of local government elections in Rivers State?
Certainly, Rivers State is not Wike’s personal estate and can never be. Yes, he was a former Governor, but does that mean, another governor should not be allowed to transform and ensure good democratic governance in Rivers State by way of providing people oriented projects to people of the State?
Wike must know that at the expiration of the three-year tenure of the Chairmen and Councilors of the 23 Local Government Councils on the 17th of June 2024, there must be an election to elect new Council Chairmen and councillors.
To lend credence to the assertion of Governor Fubara, there is the need to entrench sustainable democracy and good governance in the country’s local government system. Therefore, in a bid to obey the Supreme Court judgement in suit marked SC/CV/343/2024, between the Attorney General of the Federation and AG Abia State and 35 others delivered on 11 July 2024, which effectively outlawed the administration of local government councils with unelected officers, the decision of the Rivers State government to hold Council Election is in order and commendable.
With the attendant consequences like the immediate stoppage of statutory allocations to Local Government Councils without democratically elected local government councils, it is only an enemy of people of Rivers State, especially the rural populace that will kick against the conduct of local government election in the State.
In view of President Bola Tinubu’s intervention, the period for compliance with the Supreme Court’s judgment was graciously extended by three months, which will expire on the 15th of October 2024, yet some people are working hard to make sure the election doesn’t hold in Rivers State. Is that not insanity and retrogression? Of course, thwarting the conduct of the election on October 5, is to say the least, anti people and betrayal of the highest order.
Without mincing words, Governor Fubara, being a democrat and lover of people of Rivers State had activated government machineries to ensure the smooth conduct of Council elections so as to evade obvious sanctions.
I therefore, commend Governor Fubara for directing the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to take definite steps to conduct local government elections for the 23 local Government Councils of Rivers State. Anybody, at war with this patriotic and progressive decision, should go and hug a 33kva hight tension power line.
Also, I hail the RSIEC for heeding to the directive of the Governor and ensuring that all arrangements to conduct the Local Government Council election on Saturday 5th October 2024, are concluded.
Not minding the clandestine activities of Wike and his bootlickers towards scuttling the scheduled election, it is worth thanking the Judiciary for according legal impetus to the RSIEC to conduct the local government elections. The judgment of the Rivers State High Court in Suit No: PHC/2696/CS/2024, delivered on the 4th of September 2024, which positively directed the Governor of Rivers State, the Government of Rivers State and the RSIEC to conduct the scheduled local government elections on the 5th of October 2025 using the 2023 Independent National Electoral Commission’s Voters Register already in the custody of RSIEC, is the last straw that broke the plans of undemocratic merchants to scuttle the conduct of the council Election.
It is heartwarming to note that 17 out of 18 registered political parties, including the All Progressives Congress, have totally and actively expressed their resolve and willingness to participate by filling candidates with RSIEC for the election.
If the FCT Minister and his hangers on are swimming in the ocean of pretences not to see, let me trumpet it with a resounding tone into their damaged eardrums that over 10 States in Nigeria have conducted Local Government Council Elections using the 2023 INEC Voters’ Register since the Supreme Court’s judgment. So, Wike must be in the know that Rivers State cannot be an exception, and there is nothing he can do to stop the election.
That you are serving in the cabinet of President Tinubu does not give you the unfettered leverage and tyrannical powers to call the shots in Rivers State, when a capable and people living sitting governor is incharge and doing the bidding of people of Rivers State.
Nigeria operates a constitutional government and as a subnation, Rivers State and her people are under obligation to abide by the rule of law and the principles of democracy by obeying the Constitution and the pronouncement of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
Like Governor Fubara rightly stated, any failure on the part of Rivers State to conduct the Local Government election would be a flagrant disobedience of the Supreme Court’s mandatory order that no State Government must administer the Local Government
Councils in Nigeria with unelected officers. We must avoid this from happening.
Again, Wike and his loyalists should understand that the High Court of Rivers State in Suit No:
PHC/2696/CS/2024, which restrained the Governor, the State Government, and RSIEC from scuttling the conduct of the local government elections scheduled for October 5th, 2024, is explicit, unambiguous and should be obeyed. Any failure to conduct the election as ordered by the judge, will amount to contempt of the judgment.
Rather than fanning embers of discord and sponsoring the few to protest, I call on those working round the clock to discredit the administration of Governor Fubara to show commitment by supporting the RSIEC to succeed in it’s constitutional mandate of conducting a free, fair, and credible Local Government Council election to usher in a new set of democratically elected leaders to administer the 23 Local Government Councils.
Therefore, I restate my earlier call that Rivers people should come together in a bid to wrestle power and completely recover the political structure and governance of the State from the fisticuff of an imperial and autocratic despot.
While we vote on Saturday, I urge the electorate to conduct themselves peacefully and orderly while exercising their constitutional rights.
I assure the people of Rivers State that
the results of the Rivers LGA elections will be closely watched as a gauge of political power in the state and a potential indicator of Wike’s declining influence.
CONCLUSION:
It is instructive for Wike and his misguided politically myopic adherents to note that APC members never participated in any of the sponsored protests as we are a true democrats who believe in allowing local government administration to flourish in the county. We are law abiding citizens and that is the reason we are obedient to the Supreme Court and Federal government unlike Wike and his nefarious one-chance politicians on rampage, looking for who to devour.
Finally, let me reiterate that Rivers State and her people have endured enough of Wike’s shenanigans and plead that he should for God’s sake allow Rivers State and her people to breathe fresh air for once and stop all these unwarranted undemocratic acts that portrays the administration of President Tinubu as an anarchist and lawless Administration.
Eze Chukwuemeka Eze is a Media Consultant, Political Analyst, APC Chieftain, member of APC Legacy Projects Media Team & former National Publicity Secretary, nPDP who is based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and can be reached either through 08022049770 or [email protected]