•Monarch Sues For Peace
•Police Assure Seamless Exercise
By Maureen Dick
RIVERS State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has declared that the August 30, 2025 local government council election is sacrosanct.
The Commissioner in-charge of Administration and Legal Services of RSIEC, Professor Chidi Halliday, disclosed this at a Town Hall Meeting on Speaking virtually, during a Town Hall Meeting on the topic, “Strengthening Local Governance Through Dialogue and Participation”, with broad subject, “The Rivers We Want”, organized by Rivers Peace Initiative (RPI) in partnership with Centre for Peace and Security Studies, University of Port Harcourt and Super 93.3 FM, Port Harcourt, at the weekend.
Professor Halliday dismissed insinuations that results for the forthcoming local council election had already been written, waiting for declaration.
He blamed misinformation and ignorance to such insinuations, assuring that the commission is open to all political parties and would conduct a free, fair and credible polls on August 30.
Professor Halliday stated that RSIEC is not aware of any faction in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, stressing that “everything we are doing, are being guided by the rules and laws.”
“For us in the commission, we have created a level playing environment. There is no partiality in what we are doing. Nothing is hidden. We are working on the ethos of transparency. To as much as possible, we request and desire constructive opinion, constructive advice. And those that are participating, let them participate well.
“For us as Rivers people, there is no going back. We can’t be talking about whether the election will hold or not. What should be in us is, what is it that we have to do for this election to be a success?”
In his speech, the Oba of Ogbaland, His Eminence, Eze Nwachukwu Nnam-Obi, emphasized on the need for Rivers people to toy the part of peace, expressing concerns that state is where it is currently because few of the sons decided to fight dirty politically.
The monarch, who gave his nod for the council election, enjoined Rivers people to support whatever process that would help to restore peace and democratic system in the state.
Meanwhile, the State Police Command has said it has drawn its strategy for a hitch-free council election on August 30.
State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Grace Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police (SP), revealed this at the event.
She stressed that the state is peaceful, assuring that the council elections would be seamless.
The PPRO said: “Police can handle it adequately and our personnel are prepared for successful conduct of election. The election would be seamless. It would be free, fair and credible.
“In his welcome address, the convener, Obinna Ebogidi, said the town hall meeting was more than a gathering, but a call to conscience and a reminder of what the people can be when they choose dialogue over division, and peace over conflict.
Ebogidi said the forum was aimed at providing a platform where the people could know how they can disagree without being enemies, and how they could compete without destroying the very fabric of the society.
He insisted that togetherness would help the society to navigate the big question on how the people can strengthen participation in the forthcoming local government elections while ensuring peace and unity.