Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara has said that his administration will not tolerate any misguided group or individual attempting to create confusion or any form of instability in the State.
The Governor also urged every registered voter and leader of political groups to visit their polling units on Saturday to participate in the process that would usher in new political leadership in the 23 local government councils.
Fubara spoke while addressing Rivers political stakeholders, who converged on the Government House in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
The Governor said the meeting was convened to give the political class and the generality of the electorate in the State the needed assurances of the support of the state government to the electoral process.
Fubara said that the meeting was made open to the public and the media because it is time to strengthen the message across to the people on the importance of the election to the sustainability of democracy in the state.
The governor emphasised that the position and resolve of the state government on the forthcoming election is clear, adding that it would be conducted and concluded.
Fubara said: “First, I want to thank everyone of you for being very peaceful. You see, I didn’t make any mistake when I said, we need to follow this struggle with a different tactics.
“If you have very special egg that you are carrying, and somebody is coming to fight you, do you need to fight the person? Won’t you use your two hands to grab the basket of the egg?
“Even if the person is chasing you, if you run and hit your foot and the basket of egg falls, who is going to lose, is it not you? You can see why we are very careful, and we are following this course with AI.
“Secondly, I want to assure you that the Local Government election is about the State. I might not be a lawyer but at least, I understand that it is a State matter.
“And, thirdly, from the beginning of this process to the end is within the purview of the State. It has nothing to do with any federal judicial institution to disrupt it. So, we should understand this fact and play according to the rule.”
The governor wondered why some self-serving people bent bent on hatching their plot to derail the course of the election when states that had no duly elected local government councils across the country were endeavouring to do so in order not to run foul of the Supreme Court ruling.
He said: “10 States of the federation have conducted elections with 2023 voter register. I don’t know why things of Rivers State are always different. Is it that when it comes to the law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, where it concerns Rivers State, it’s a different thing?
“Anyway, today, we are here to assure you that as a government, we are prepared to support the electoral body to conduct a free, fair and credible election for the peace-loving people Rivers State.”
