The Rivers State Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), has called on residents of Rivers State to conduct themselves peacefully as the state holds its local government elections today.
Ibas made the appeal when he met with leaders of organised labour and Local Government Administrators at the Government House, Port Harcourt.
Residents in the 23 local government areas of Rivers State are casting their votes in the council election, which is being held across 6,866 polling units.
The elections are coming in six months and two days after the Supreme Court nullified the local government election conducted on October 5, 2024, by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
Ibas’ plea comes as some prominent Rivers indigenes asked President Bola Tinubu to halt the conduct of the local government elections.
Five indigenes of Rivers had sued the federal government, Ibas, and the State electoral body over plans to conduct the local government elections.
But speaking on Friday, the State administrator said, “All necessary arrangements have been made to ensure a safe and peaceful election,” just as he urged residents to “please go out tomorrow (today) and exercise your civic responsibility without fear or intimidation.”
He restated his administration’s unwavering commitment to transparency, staff welfare, and the successful conclusion of the ongoing staff verification exercise.
Ibas said the timing was deliberate to underscore the intrinsic link between accountable leadership and effective grassroots governance.
“Tomorrow’s elections are an important step towards restoring democratic governance at the grassroots. But leaders can only be held accountable when there is clarity on the human and material resources available to them,” the Administrator stated.
He spoke on the comprehensive staff verification and biometric enrolment exercise initiated to enhance transparency and efficiency across the state and local government workforce.
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Ibas disclosed compelling results from the exercise to date, saying that “37,703 state staff verified, against a previous figure of over 43,000.
“19,186 state pensioners verified, compared to over 25,500. 2,004 local government pensioners verified out of over 2,600. 8,000 local government staff verified across seven LGAs, including Obio/Akpor, Bonny, Etche, and Degema.”
Ibas set a deadline of September 4, 2025, for the completion of all local government staff verification, vowing to deploy all necessary state resources to meet this goal, emphasising the necessity of the process.
Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) Chairman, Michael Odey, had narrated that the commission started with plans which were integrated into the timetable of events and timeline, adding that the agency is at the implementation stage.
Odey explained that the commission took an assessment of the terrain of LGAs in the course of preparation for the election, taking into consideration riverine and upland terrain.
The RSIEC chairman, who spoke during a joint meeting with security chiefs, disclosed that movement of non-sensitive materials started leaving the commission to LGAs on Thursday, while sensitive materials would go to LGAs accompanied by security agencies on Friday.
He emphasised that Adhoc staff were adequately trained and the commission is poised to deliver free, fair, credible and transparent elections on Saturday.
Also at the meeting, the State Commissioner of Police reassured the Command’s commitment to the safety and security of all citizens and residents of the State.
He said, “These operations reflect a broader strategy to dismantle criminal networks and ensure public confidence in law enforcement agencies, especially as it concerns the upcoming chairmanship/councillorship election”.
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