The Rivers State House of Assembly led by Martins Amaewhule, on Thursday asked the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to put on hold Saturday’s local government election in the state.
In a statement issued by Amaewhule’s media aide, Martins Wachukwu, the lawmakers berated the commission for snubbing a court ruling that stopped the election.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had on September 30 restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from releasing the voters’ register for the conduct of local government election in the state.
He also stopped the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Department of the State Service (DSS) from providing security for the election.
However, Governor Siminalayi Fubara has insisted that the election would go ahead as scheduled.
The governor had also declared Thursday and Friday as public holidays to enable the people of the state to participate in the election.
In the statement, the lawmakers who are loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, said the court asked RSIEC to stay action until all relevant provisions of laws relating to the election are complied with.
They alleged that the state government has become notorious for disobeying court orders.
“The Speaker berated the conduct of Governor Fubara, who went to the RSIEC headquarters to command them to go ahead and conduct the local government election in breach of its law and in defiance of a subsisting Federal High Court order barring them from proceeding with the elections,” the statement added.
