Uzodinma Nwafor of the Action Alliance (AA) has been declared the winner of Chairman held which held on October 5 in the Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
The Chairman of Rivers State Independent National Electoral Commission (RSIEC), Adolphus Enebeli, made the declaration on Sunday in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
He stated that the Action People’s Party (APP) clinched all the 19 councillorship positions in Etche LG.
Giving a breakdown of the councillorship election, the electoral body said the APP raked in 314 seats, the All Progressives Congress (APC) – 1, Boot – 1, Labour Party – 1, Social Democratic Party (SDP) – 1, Young Progressives Party (YPP) – 1.
He described the election as free, fair, and credible, despite all odds. According to him, polls were closed at 3 pm and recorded a large turnout of voters.
Enebeli saluted the patriotism of the residents who turned out to vote.
The declaration of the results was observed by members of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), chairmen of the state’s independent electoral bodies across the country, and members of the Nigerian Bar Association who acted as observers in the polls.
He said the commission “adopted the principle of bi-location because of the exigencies” they found themselves.
The results were announced at the Ministry of Justice Hall at the State Secretariat complex, rather than the Commission’s office on Aba Road.
Explosions, Protests, Gunshots
On election day, two explosions rocked the state. Police authorities confirmed that one of the incidents happened earlier on Saturday.
“The first explosion was reported at the APC Secretariat on Aba Road at approximately 3:00 am. A security guard reported hearing a loud bang and, upon investigation, observed three black Toyota Hilux vans speeding away from the scene,” the spokesperson of the Rivers State Police Command Grace Iringe-Koko said, adding that the incidents are being investigated.
“The explosion caused significant damage, destroying the gate and shattering the windows of the building. Additionally, the security building was set ablaze. The second explosion occurred at the Obio/Akpor Council secretariat around 3:30 am. Eyewitnesses reported seeing a black Toyota Hilux van and a white Toyota Sienna minivan drive past the secretariat.”
Gunshots were equally reported in some parts of Port Harcourt, the state capital. Some unidentified persons who rode in a black Toyota Corolla were spotted firing gunshots around the Wimpy area of the state which is a stone’s throw from the home of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike.
Some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had earlier in the week protested against the conduct of the election and had stormed the Department of State Security office and the Government House both in Port Harcourt to register their demand.