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Naija News reports that APC spokesperson, Darlington Nwauju, urged the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission to postpone the polls until the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) concludes its continuous voter registration in the state, in line with the apex court’s February ruling mandating the use of updated registers for elections.
“I do not think you’re supposed to have an election in the middle of voter registration, given that many who have attained voting age this year will be alienated or disenfranchised,” Nwauju said, accusing RSIEC of selectively adopting decisions from the dissolved 6th commission led by Justice Adolphus Enebeli (retd.).
The APC’s position adds to growing resistance from civil society groups, prominent politicians, and a pending court case seeking to halt the polls.
Critics have argued that both RSIEC and the state’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), lack the legitimacy to organise the LG elections under the ongoing emergency rule in the state.
Despite the criticisms, RSIEC has remained resolute, insisting the election date will not be shifted. RSIEC Commissioner in charge of Political Parties’ Affairs, Monitoring and Security, Godfrey Woke, told Sunday Punch that the voter register obtained in March remains valid and that candidate screening for chairmanship, vice-chairmanship, and councillorship positions has already begun.
Woke said, adding that the timetable was drawn in line with the RSIEC Act, “The date for the local government elections in Rivers State is sacrosanct. We are not shifting from what we are doing.
“We had already obtained our voters register before INEC came up with that. The law allows us to change the date once, and that is what we have done. We cannot change it again.”
Speaking through his Senior Special Adviser on Media, Hector Igbikiowubo, the Sole Administrator insisted that RSIEC was authorised by the National Assembly, which assumed legislative powers in the state after the declaration of emergency rule.
He said, “When people talk about legality, are they wishing away the powers of the National Assembly? RSIEC has the legal basis to do what it is doing. You can’t wish that away.
“What we must understand is that RSIEC wasn’t cleared by the Administrator. RSIEC was cleared by the National Assembly. Whenever there is an emergency rule, like we have now in the state, you find out that legislative powers rest with the National Assembly.
“If you look at it holistically, you will see that the National Assembly has acted within its powers, and from there on, RSIEC has the legal basis to do what it is doing. You can’t wish that away.”
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