By Mark Lenu
The Citizens’ Rights Advocacy Initiative (CRAI) has sued for a non-violent local government election in Rivers State, urging the electorate to stay away from those who want to drag the state backward.
The Coordinator of CRAI, Comrade Sobebo Princewill said this as residents of the state prepare to elect their respective LG chairmen and councillors this Saturday, October 5 across the 23 LGAs of the state.
The coordinator also urged voters to come out and exercise their franchise and vote for only candidates that will bring the dividends of democracy to the people.
Despite the recent court injunction stopping RSIEC from accessing the voters’ register from INEC, Governor Siminalayi Fubara had insisted that the election must be held as scheduled.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja had again barred the Independent National Electoral Commission from releasing the voters’ register to the state Independent Electoral Commission for the upcoming election.
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Justice Lifu issued the order on Monday while delivering judgment on a suit brought before him by the All Progressives Congress in the state.
In his judgment, Justice Lifu criticized RSIEC for fixing October 5 as the election date without adhering to the relevant laws governing the conduct of the election.
The judge ruled that the state electoral body violated the provisions of the local government election law by failing to publish the mandatory 90-day notice before fixing the election date.
The judge further held that the updating and revision of the voters’ register should have been completed before a legally valid election date could be fixed. He consequently ordered INEC not to release the certified voters’ register to RSIEC until all legal requirements were met.
Reacting to the judgment, the governor insisted that the forthcoming LG election will be held. Fubara said there was an encumbrance known to law to stop the conduct of the exercise.
The governor, therefore, urged political parties and candidates contesting for various positions in the election and the electorate to be enthusiastic as they prepare to vote for their preferred candidates who will become the new political leaders at the council level.
Fubara gave the assurance shortly after an inspection tour of some sections of the 12.5km N225.1billion Trans-Kalabari Road project on Monday.
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