No legal hurdle against conduct of Rivers LG election – RSIEC Chair
Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC
Published By: Ayorinde Oluokun
By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
The Chairman of Rivers Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, Retired Justice Adolphus Enebeli has reiterated that there is no legal impediment stopping the conduct of the state’s local government council election scheduled for October, 5th, 2024.
Enebeli gave the assurance during on ongoing Training of Master Trainers for Rivers RSIEC Staff holding at Justice Mary Odili Institute in Port Harcourt.
The RSIEC chairman who spoke on Tuesday also emphasized that the state electoral law and the recent judgement of Supreme Court empowered the body to conduct the scheduled LG election.
The retired High Court Judge added that RSIEC as the electoral umpire in the state is prepared for the conduct of the elections on October 5th, 2024.
Addressing the trainers and master trainers for the RSIEC Staff, Enebeli said the exercise is as an investment that would help the electoral process to have integrity.
On credibility of the election, he said the training was intended to help RSIEC, ad-hoc staff and other electoral officers get equipped as the commission is determined deliver free, fair, and violence free election in the state.
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On the slight adjustment in initial time schedule of the election, the RSIEC Chairman explained that the 10 days nationwide hunger protest affected the timetable of the Commission.
Speaking further, he said that out of 19 registered political parties in the country, 18 are participating in the elections with over 300 contestants.
He also assured that names of contestants who scaled through the screening will be published on Tuesday 24th of September, 2024.
Our correspondent reports that Tony Okocha, the factional chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State had expressed doubts about holding of election at the scheduled date.
Okocha claimed RSIEC was not prepared to conduct the election.
He also said there were legal impediments stopping the RSIEC from going ahead with the local government election at the scheduled date.
