Jane Otu, South South
DAILY COURIER - In a controversial turn of events during last Saturday’s local government elections in Rivers State, no election took place in Obio/Akpor Ward 5, the constituency of the House of Representatives Minority Leader, Rep. Kingsley Chinda.
The development follows a Federal High Court verdict in Abuja, which had earlier barred the Governor of Rivers State from conducting the local government elections scheduled for October 5.
The court ruling had restricted the governor from proceeding with the elections, sparking debates over the legitimacy of the process. Constituents in Ward 5, where Chinda is a major political figure, reportedly chose to honour the court's decision by not participating in the election.
Nevertheless, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) went ahead to declare the candidate of the Action People's Party (APP) as the winner of what many have described as a "stage-managed election." The declaration has raised further questions about the credibility of the electoral process, as numerous civil society organizations (CSOs) condemned the conduct of the election.
The People’s Advocate, an amalgam of credible CSOs, released a report describing the election as weak and not credible. Their report criticized the disregard for the court ruling and condemned the RSIEC for allegedly staging the results despite the lack of participation by voters.
In the wake of this development, many are calling for an urgent review of the electoral process in the state, noting that the absence of credible elections threatens democracy in the region.
Political observers anticipate that this incident will have significant implications for future elections in Rivers State.