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  • Rivers LG polls indication of APC’s victory in 2027, says Okocha

    Rivers LG polls indication of APC’s victory in 2027, says Okocha

    Rivers Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Tony Okocha says last Saturday’s landslide victory of APC in local government’s elections is an indication it will win the state in 2027.

    Okocha made the remark at a news conference in Port Harcourt, on Tuesday.

    Recall that the APC won 20 seats out of 23 local government chairmanship seats in Rivers, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won three seats during the election.

    Okocha described the outcome of the election as a prelude to what would happen in 2027,” emphasising the party’s growing strength in the state and nationwide.

    “We have just tested the water to see our strength in our state and it’s proven beyond reasonable doubt that we are very strong. So, it is a prelude to what will happen in 2027,” he said.

    According to him, this momentum will be sustained and built upon in the lead-up to the 2027 general elections, with President Bola Tinubu expected to field for a second term in office.

    Okocha attributed the success to the party’s grassroots engagement and President Bola Tinubu’s credible leadership style.

    Okocha said that the briefing was to express heartfelt gratitude to party members who turned out in their numbers to vote massively for APC during the just concluded of elections.

    He commended Tinubu, the National Working Committee of the party for repositioning and reviving the APC in Rivers.

    The Rivers APC chairman further applauded the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), the security agencies and the media for their roles in ensuring a free, fair and credible election that was devoid of violence and crisis.

    Okocha assured that the party would continue to woo the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, members of the State House of Assembly and other critical stakeholders across the state to join the party.

    He acknowledged that the suspended Gov. Siminalayi Fubara would return to office by Sept. 18, saying that APC members and its newly elected chairmen would cooperate with his administration, but would also criticise his policies where necessary.

  • Rivers Council polls was above board”-Head of mission, Dr Nwambu

    Rivers Council polls was above board”-Head of mission, Dr Nwambu

    Head of mission of Rivers State Local Government polls observation , Dr Gabriel Nwambu has has said the just concluded polls was above board as it was peaceful b

    Recall there was adequate security beef up before the polls and during the Local Government polls in a professional manner without molestation.

    Dr Nwambu further stressed that: ” As the head of mission for election observation here in Rivers State, my centre has deployed about 330 observers across the 23 local government areas of Rivers State.

    “And we had a pre-election observation and analysis which we have conducted where we made a needs analysis of what has transpired. And we noticed the pre-election there was no election-related violence.

    “There was no acrimony. People were campaigning strictly on issue base and personalities were not being attacked, unlike the conventional elections in the past.

    ” And what happened on Saturday is that elections started in good time, although it is not in all the polling units that elections commence at 8:30am.

    ” There were pockets of areas where there were little delays, like elections commence around 9 o’clock and 9:30am, like the ward 7, and some areas in Elelewon, elections commence at about 9 o’clock, 8:45am and all that.

    On the security situation, Nwambu observed that: “”So generally, the environment is peaceful. We’ve not observed any incidents of electoral-related violence. The security, the police, which is the lead agency in charge of internal security and democratic process, such as this, is on top of the game. And I think so far, it is good.

    “You see, the checkpoints are okay. It is manned by a joint task force made up of the several law enforcement agencies, including the military. It’s not difficult as usual. The joint task force are well abriefed. They are well trained.

    ” They are strictly adhering to the rules of engagement. This is one of the best elections in terms of the performance index of the law enforcement agencies. They are not beating up anybody.

    ” They are not brutalising anybody. Unlike in the past, where you would introduce yourself as an election observer, they would pretend as if they were not even hearing you.

    ” This time, they are even ready to assist you to cross and go your way, provided you conduct yourself in a peaceful manner. So, I think the security situation here in River State is excellent.

    “And to show the level of compliance in terms of restriction of movement, we also observed young men playing football, playing soccer along the roads, showing that the roads were desolate, within intra city.

    ” So, we believe that the electorates are happy. They came out en masse to exercise their franchise, which they feel is long overdue. And elections should really take this pace for which this election is going.

    “We would recommend this pattern of election for Nigeria any day, any time, because of the peaceful disposition of both the electorates, the peaceful disposition of the candidates themselves, and then the peaceful disposition of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, which so far has demonstrated capacity and competence in terms of the level of preparedness and dispensation of the electoral mandates.

    “In all the observers we deployed to the 23 local government areas of Rivers State, there is no case of vote-buying observed anywhere. I mean, this is a pace setter. This is how an election should be. The environment is peaceful.

    ” The people are docile and behaving themselves in line with the expected conduct of electorates. Even the politicians are interested in issue-based, they are not interfering in the process of election.

  • BREAKING: APC wins 20 LGAs in Rivers, PDP picks three

    BREAKING: APC wins 20 LGAs in Rivers, PDP picks three

    The All Progressives Congress has cleared 20 of the 23 local government areas in Saturday’s Chairmanship and Councillorship elections.

    The ruling party in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party, on the other hand, won only three LGAs in the poll conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission.

    Governor Siminalayi Fubara also lost his Opobo-Nkoro LGA to the main opposition party in the state.

    The RSIEC Chairman, Dr Michael Odey, announced the results at the commission’s Headquarters along Aba Road in Port Harcourt on Sunday afternoon.

    See Results Of RIVERS LG COUNCIL ELECTION:

    Ahoada East 84,125 votes APC

    63,593 Akuku Toru LGA APC

    Andoni 126, 181 APC

    Asari Toru LGA 56,383 APC

    Bonny LGA 13,543 APC

    Degema LGA 61,536 APC

    Eleme LGA 77,452 APC

    Emohua LGA 115,380

    Etche 100, 649 APC

    Gokana LGA 96,478 APC

    Ikwerre LGA 62,746 APC

    Khana LGA 156,027 APC

    Obioa Akpor 328,888 PDP

    ONELGA 51,051 PDP

    Ogu Bolo LGA 36,374 APC

    OKRIKA LGA 82,285 APC

    Opobo Nkoro LGA 38,822 APC

    Details shortly…

  • Rivers Council Polls: Rivers people eagerly await results today

    Rivers Council Polls: Rivers people eagerly await results today

    Residents in Rivers State on Saturday cast their ballots in the local government elections conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) across 23 councils.

    The exercise, which was held in 6,866 polling units in the 319 wards of the state, is expected to produce elected local government chairpersons and councilors and replace the council administrators appointed in April 2025.

    The elections came six months and two days after the Supreme Court upturned the council elections conducted on October 5, 2024, by the RSIEC.

    The election on Saturday in different areas, including Port Harcourt, Obio Akpor Metropolis, and Abonnema in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, observed that the exercise was largely peaceful.

    Speaking during a pre-election broadcast on Friday, the Chairman of the RSIEC, Michael Odey, assured the voters of the prompt arrival of voting materials to the various polling units, including the rural and riverine communities.

    However, it was observed that electoral materials did not arrive in time in some polling units.

    As of 9:30 am, voting had yet to commence at Ward 3, Unit 11 in the Emohua LGA.

    Only a few voters and party agents were present, making arrangements ahead of the arrival of the materials.

    The same situation was recorded at Ward 3, Unit 9 in the Emohua LGA, where a few voters were seen checking their names on the register displayed on the wall, while an RSIEC official waited for the arrival of electoral materials.

    Voting was ongoing in Ward 13, Unit 06, Aluu, in the Ikwerre LGA, when Channels Television visited the unit at about 10:30 am.

  • Rivers LG Elections: Police impose movement restrictions

    Rivers LG Elections: Police impose movement restrictions

    The Police Command in Rivers has announced temporary restrictions on movement across the state on Aug. 30, the day of the Local Government Elections.

    SP Grace Iringe-Koko, the command’s spokesperson, told journalists in Port Harcourt on Thursday that the ban would be in effect from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., covering both pedestrian and vehicular movement.

    She clarified that the restrictions excluded those performing essential duties on election day.

    “The move aims to ensure a peaceful and orderly election, with security personnel deployed across land and waterways to safeguard voters and election officials.

    “We urge residents to cooperate fully with security agencies and comply with the restriction.

    “Report any suspicious activities to the nearest security agency,” Iringe-Koko said.

    NAN reports that the polls will elect chairpersons and councillors across the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers.

  • Coalition lauds Sole Administrator for rescuing civil service in Rivers 

    Coalition lauds Sole Administrator for rescuing civil service in Rivers 

    Just three days after the oversight visit of the Ad-Hoc Committee of the House of Representatives on Rivers State Administration, a Group, Coalition for Civil Service Reforms (CCSR), has paid great tribute to the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd.), acknowledging the reforms of the Civil Service and reviving ailing decayed infrastructures and failing systems in the state.

    In a statement signed by the National President, Comrade LarryKing Amos, and made available to newsmen on Sunday; the Coalition said, aside the ongoing civil service reforms and the many interventions, the Sole Administrator has also been regular in payment of salaries, putting the welfare of workers forward in the state.

    The Coalition averred that, “such laudable interventions and welfare is responsible for the high spirits and great motivations of the civil servants, which is by extension, responsible for the peace, unity and harmonious relationship between the Labour Force and the state government, in the last few months”.

    While thanking the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee for acknowledging the many efforts of the Sole Administrator in the civil service sector, the Coalition also said the observation of the near collapse structures of the State Secretariat where the Civil Servants always scamper for safety due to death state, and the charge to quickly overhaul it, was an answer to a decade-long prayers of workers in the state.

    “As a group that has been clamouring for reforms in the civil service sector in Nigeria, we have written series of letters to the former Governor of Rivers, when our members from the state sent an SoS to us, alerting us about the , deplorable state of the House of Assembly Complex, the Civil Service Commission and the State Secretariat, especially the 6th and 7th floors, which is literally unfit for human occupation due to life-threatening conditions.

    “But since the inception of this current administration, the feelers we have got from the State shows a man who is intentional about the safety and welfare of civil servants. We have taken cognisance of the many laudable interventions of the Sole Administrator, His Excellency, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas; and this gladdens our hearts. For the first time in a long while, we are having a government who has brought succour and restored hope to the civil servants in Rivers State.

    “We must, on a very serious note, appreciate the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee, for approving the urgent renovation of the State Secretariat, the building that warehouses civil servants in the State. This intervention is not only timely, it is life saving and as such, calls for commendations”, the Coalition added.

    It would be recalled that, the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee, on Wednesday, mandated an immediate overhaul of the crumbling Rivers State Secretariat complex and the urgent relocation of civil servants from unsafe work environments.

    The directive followed an emergency inspection led by the House Leader and Committee Chairman, Professor Julius Ihonvbere, who assessed the deplorable conditions of the State Secretariat and the stalled Rivers State House of Assembly project.

    Professor Ihonvbere described the Secretariat as being in a state worse than facilities in war-torn Gaza, pointing to structural hazards, crumbling floor tiles, leaking roofs, exposed electrical wiring, and a complete absence of basic amenities, including functional toilets, drinking water, and proper furniture.

    The committee, therefore, ordered the immediate closure of hazardous floors and the relocation of staff to secure alternative office spaces.

  • Rivers LG polls to hold August 30

    Rivers LG polls to hold August 30

    The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has announced August 30 as the new date for the 2025 local government elections.

    The exercise was initially scheduled for August 9.

    According to the Chairman of RSIEC, Michael Odey, the election will now be held on Saturday, August 30, 2025.

    The announcement was made on Monday during a meeting of stakeholders at the RSIEC headquarters in Port Harcourt, where the agency unveiled the revised timetable and guidelines for the upcoming polls.

    Odey explained that the decision to postpone the election was necessitated by the state of emergency declared in the state, which disrupted earlier plans.

    He noted that in view of the new realities, it became imperative to adjust the electoral calendar.

    The revised timetable includes new dates for party primaries, screening of candidates, campaign periods, and the main council elections.

    Stakeholders, including party leaders, electoral observers, and media representatives, were present at the unveiling to review and discuss the updated guidelines.

    According to the revised guidelines, participating political parties are expected to conduct their primaries between July 31 and August 3, 2025, and submit the names of their candidates on August 3 and August 4, 2025.

    RESIEC said that electioneering would begin on Tuesday, August 12, 2025.

    It said that the recruitment of ad-hoc staff for the elections would be held on Saturday, August 16, 2025.

    The agency also said the list of candidates would be displayed on Wednesday, August 20, 2025.

  • Suspected cultists k!ll community’s deputy chairman in Rivers

    Suspected cultists k!ll community’s deputy chairman in Rivers

    Suspected cultists at the weekend killed the Vice-Chairman of Obelle Council of Chiefs in Emohua Local Government Area, Rivers State, Ferdinand Dabiri.

    The attackers said to be suspected members of the dreaded Iceland cult group stormed a location where Dabiri and other chiefs were rounding off a meeting and shot him dead.

    A leader of the assassination group identified simply as Cairo was said to have alighted from a motorbike with a gun, bypassed other chiefs and shot his target twice.

    The son of the deceased, Joseph Dabiri, confirmed the incident in Port Harcourt while his brother added that the incident had been reported to the Rumuji Police Division

    Joseph said: “I heard that a guy came with a gun while my father was in a meeting at Omuwoka village in Obelle, and shot at him.

    Then somebody grabbed him (gunman) but he struggled and freed himself from the man’s grip and shot my dad again twice and fled.”

    The Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police Grace Iringe-Koko confirmed the incident, saying investigation was ongoing.

    She said: “I can confirm the incident. From the situation report I got one ‘Cairo’ went to the Obelle community and shot somebody while they were holding a meeting.

    “The command has commenced investigation into the matter to ensure the perpetrators will be identified and made to face justice. The deceased’s body has been deposited in the morgue”.

  • Cultists kill council vice-chairman in Rivers

    Cultists kill council vice-chairman in Rivers

    Suspected cultists on Saturday killed the Vice-Chairman of Obelle Council of Chiefs in Emohua Local Government Area, Rivers State, Ferdinand Dabiri.

    The attackers said to be suspected members of the dreaded Iceland cult group stormed a location where Dabiri and other chiefs were rounding off a meeting and shot him dead.

    A leader of the assassination identified simply as Cairo was said to have alighted from a motorbike with a gun, bypassed other chiefs and shot his target twice.

    The son of the deceased, Joseph Dabiri, confirmed the incident in Port Harcourt while his brother added that the incident had been reported to the Rumuji Police Division

    Joseph said: “I heard that a guy came with a gun while my father was in a meeting at Omuwoka village in Obelle, and shot at him.

    “Then somebody grabbed him (gunman) but he struggled and freed himself from the man’s grip and shot my dad again twice and fled.”

    The Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police Grace Iringe-Koko confirmed the incident, saying investigation was ongoing.

    She said: “I can confirm the incident. From the situation report I got one ‘Cairo’ went to the Obelle community and shot somebody while they were holding a meeting.

    “The command has commenced investigation into the matter to ensure the perpetrators will be identified and made to face justice. The deceased’s body has been deposited in the morgue”.

  • Police kill notorious kidnapper in Rivers

    Police kill notorious kidnapper in Rivers

    A notorious kidnapper and murderer, David Uzoma Kamalu, alias M-Kaze, has been arrested by the  Rivers State Police Command after a daring operation.

    The operatives from the Rumuji Division carried out the raid on May 25, 2025, at a suspected criminal hideout in Rumuodogu 1 Community, Emohua Local Government Area.

    Grace Iringe-Koko, the Command’s Spokesperson said the operation was the culmination of days of intensive intelligence gathering, showcasing the command’s commitment to leveraging cutting-edge intelligence to disrupt and dismantle criminal networks.

    She noted that during the raid, the police operatives encountered fierce armed resistance from the gang members, leading to an exchange of gunfire, adding that the gang was neutralized, while several other gang members escaped with varying degrees of bullet wounds.

    She added that a thorough search of the hideout yielded a cache of incriminating exhibits, including a pump-action shotgun, two live cartridges, and various local charms believed to be used for protection and intimidation.

    The police revealed that M-Kaze was a high-value target with a notorious reputation for orchestrating heinous crimes against innocent citizens.

    Iringe-Koko further State that M-kaze was declared wanted by law enforcement agencies for his involvement in the gruesome murder and beheading of a local security operative, Mr. Alete, in January 2025, and multiple high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies along the East-West Road corridor.

    She said: “The police have urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious individuals with gunshot wounds to the nearest security agency.”