• Monarch sues for peace as police pledge seamless exercise
From Tony John, Port Harcourt
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 during a Town Hall Meeting on the topic, “Strengthening Local Governance Through Dialogue and Participation,” with the broad subject, “The Rivers We Want,” organised by Rivers Peace Initiative (RPI) in partnership with the Centre for Peace and Security Studies, University of Port Harcourt and Super 93.3 FM, Port Harcourt, over the weekend.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1718806029429-0’); });
Professor Halliday dismissed insinuations that results for the forthcoming local council election had already been written, awaiting declaration.
He blamed misinformation and ignorance for such insinuations, assuring that the commission is open to all political parties and would conduct 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 is 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. As much as possible, we request and desire constructive opinion, constructive advice. And those who 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 be held 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 the need for Rivers people to play the part of peace, expressing concerns that the state is where it is currently because a 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 would help restore peace and the democratic system in the state.
Meanwhile, the State Police Command 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 the 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; it was 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 people could learn how to disagree without becoming enemies, and how they could compete without destroying the very fabric of society.
He insisted that togetherness would help the society navigate the big question of how the people can strengthen participation in the forthcoming local government elections while ensuring peace and unity.
The post Rivers: August 30 council elections sacrosanct – RSIEC appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.
