Explosion rocks Rivers APC Secretariat as LG Election Begins [Video]

Suspected arsonists, in the early hours of Saturday, detonated explosives at the state secretariat of the main opposition political party in Rivers State, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Port Harcourt.

The explosion shattered the gate of the secretariat and the doors as local government elections took place in the state.

Short video clips circulating on social media showed that the incident, suspected to be from dynamites

In a short message service (SMS) sent out to journalists in the State, the caretaker committee chairman of the party, Chief Tony Okocha, accused supporters of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, for the attack on the secretariat.

Okocha wrote: “At the wee hours of Saturday, pro-Fubara civilian soldiers detonated dynamites at our office.

“The second attempt to set it ablaze was foiled as the security at the gate quickly put out the fire.”

Amid controversies surrounding the Rivers local government poll, accreditation and voting have started in many Port Harcourt City polling centers.

It was gathered that sensitive and non-sensitive election materials arrived at the Registration and Accreditation Centers (RACs) in some local government areas, including the Government Technical College in Ahoada East as early as 7:00am.

The atmosphere in the state reflects typical election day conditions, with roads notably quiet, but with the absence of the Nigeria Police Force.

The elections will take place in 319 wards and 6,366 polling units throughout the 23 local governments in the state.

There are over there million registered voters as of 2023, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This voter register is what RSIEC is using for the elections.

Eighteen out of the 19 registered political parties in Nigeria are participating in the elections. The only party not participating is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is the ruling party in the state.

Historically, the ruling party has always won local government elections in the state. However, this time, it appears that opposition parties are set to take over the councils for the first time since 1999.

Governor Siminialayi Fubara has noted that he is the biggest loser in these elections since his party, the PDP, is not participating.

“But because of the Supreme Court ruling that requires elected officials to manage local government affairs, as governor, I have to comply with that,” he stated.

The conduct of the local government election is in accordance with the ruling of the Supreme Court, which insists on a democratically elected local government system for the country.

Since that judgment, 10 states in Nigeria have held council elections. Akwa Ibom and Benue States are also having their local government elections on the same Saturday, October 5, 2024, while Plateau, Kaduna, Kano, and Cross River will hold theirs later this month.

“Following the President’s intervention, the deadline for compliance with the Supreme Court’s judgment has been graciously extended by three months, which will expire on October 15, 2024,” Governor Fubara stated in a state broadcast he delivered on Wednesday.

He added, “In light of these positive developments, I direct the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to take concrete steps to conduct local government elections for the 23 local government councils in Rivers State.”

The governor emphasized that failing to allow the elections to take place would be a clear disobedience of the Supreme Court’s mandatory order.

The PDP, which is the ruling party in Rivers State, along with a faction of the leading opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has threatened to stop the local government elections.

After a peaceful protest at the DSS office and Police Headquarters in Port Harcourt on Thursday, PDP state chairman Aaron Chukwuemeka stated that the party will not stand by while the RSIEC conducts the elections on Saturday.

He explained that their protest was intended to remind both agencies of a court judgment that restrains RSIEC from holding the local government elections and prevents security agencies from participating.

“As a party that believes in the rule of law, we have decided to deliver a letter to the police and DSS to inform them that we will not allow them to conduct the election on that day. We believe in the rule of law and we want everyone to comply with it.”

The Rivers State Police Command has announced that they will not provide security for the local government elections.

In a statement signed by SP Grace Iringe-Koko, the police indicated that, following advice from the Force Legal Department, they are complying with a restraining order issued by a federal high court in Abuja. This order prevents the Nigerian Police Force and other security agencies from providing security during the elections.

On Friday morning, Governor Fubara confronted individuals he referred to as “rogue policemen,” who allegedly attempted to take over the RSIEC office.

The Governor later explained to reporters at Government House that these policemen were trying to steal electoral materials from the RSIEC premises.

However, the Force headquarters has denied this claim. Muyiwa Adejobi, a spokesperson for the Force, stated that the Governor is wrongly accusing the Inspector General of Police of bias, adding that the police were there to protect RSIEC based on the security report they received