Election monitors decry low sensitisation ahead of LG polls
The Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors, National Working Committee (NWC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party from tampering with or dissolving executive committees of the party in Rivers State.
The court also restrained them from constituting any interim committee to replace party officers at the state, local councils and ward levels who are pro-Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, in the state.
Justice Peter Lifu issued the order while delivering a ruling in an ex-parte application brought before him by the PDP Rivers State Executive Committee led by Aaron Chukwuemeka and his counterparts at the local councils and ward levels.
Justice Lifu also ordered the PDP national body and others not to tamper with or dissolve the local councils and ward leadership of the PDP in Rivers State who were said to have been elected along with the State Executive Committee this year at various party congresses.
In an enrolled order obtained by The Guardian, the court ordered that on no ground shall the tenure of the Rivers PDP executive committees at the state, local councils and the wards be truncated by the defendants.
The judge also ordered that the defendants must not in any way allow or permit any other group or persons to perform the duties and functions of the PDP state, local council and ward officers elected between July 37 and August 31, 2024.
Plaintiffs in the ex-parte application marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1396/2024, are Aaron Chukwuemeka, Oye Fubara Igenewari and ThankGod Bekee, who sued on behalf of themselves, state, local councils and ward executive committees, respectively.
In the meantime, ahead of October 5, 2024, local council elections in Rivers State, some election monitors have expressed worry over the lack of sensitisation of voters by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
Checks show that while campaign posters of some candidates are visible, many voters have little knowledge of the candidates themselves, let alone their manifestos or policy thrusts.
Coordinator of the Transition Monitoring Group in Rivers State, Nathaniel Akpos, said residents have more information about political parties not participating in the polls, parties at loggerheads and conflicts across the local councils, but less about the elections, candidates and programmes.