The decision of the Federal High Court, Abuja to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing voters register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to conduct the council elections has created uncertainty over the direction the political crisis rocking the state is headed.
The interim orders granted the All Progressives Congress (APC), Rivers State chapter, by Justice Peter Lifu are to remain pending the determination of the substantive suit in which the APC is challenging the conduct of local government elections in Rivers State.
The RSIEC Chairman, Justice Adolphus Enebeli, (rted), had announced October 5, 2024 as the date for the council polls, pledging to conduct free, fair and credible elections for the state’s 23 local government areas, which are currently occupied by caretaker committees inaugurated by Governor Siminialayi Fubara.
With two factions of the Rivers State House of Assembly led by Victor Oko-Jumbo and Martins Amaewhule, who are loyal to Fubara and Barr. Nyesom Wike respectively operating from different locations, the council polls being planned by RSIEC was supposed to end the siege caused by the refusal of former council chairmen to leave after the expiration of their tenure.
With the restraining order on RSIEC not to go on with the elections, there is an air of uncertainty in Rivers about what would happen next or how the caretaker committee chairmen, who appear to be relaxed after the court had ruled that the tenure of the former elected council chairmen had expired.
Already, people of the state appear to be fed up with the daily drama that unfolds from the sittings conducted by the factional speakers and the lawmakers backing them, complaining that the crisis continues to affect the state negatively.
They are also uncomfortable with the way Fubara and Wike’s camps are using the courts to fight on different fronts without the end of the crisis in sight.
Recall that a few days ago, a State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt stopped the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from conducting a congress in the state on July 27th, 2024 or on any other date pending the hearing and determination of a suit against it.
The plaintiffs, Hon. David Chinedu Emerelu and 10 others had dragged the PDP, it’s national chairman, financial secretary and the national organizing secretary to court over a planned congress scheduled to hold in the state.
They also prayed the court, presided by Hon. Sobere Biambo to refrain each of the defendants from being part of the move to hold the said congress until the application brought before the court is determined.
Although the Fubara camp is yet to make an official statement over the latest pronouncement from the court, sources told this newspaper that “they would continue to utilize the legal option to ensure that RSIEC conducts the council polls and that the Amaewhule-led faction does not continue to sit, ” noting, however that the Wike camp is “no push overs that can be defeated easily.”