The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has declared that the local government council election scheduled for August 30 is sacrosanct.

The Commissioner in charge of Administration and Legal Services of RSIEC, Professor Chidi Halliday, disclosed this during a virtual town hall meeting on the topic ?Strengthening Local Governance Through Dialogue and Participation,? under the broader theme ?The Rivers We Want.? The event was organized by the 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.

Professor Halliday dismissed insinuations that results for the forthcoming local council election had already been written, awaiting declaration.

He attributed such claims to misinformation and ignorance, assuring that the commission is open to all political parties and will conduct free, fair, and credible polls on August 30.

Professor Halliday stated that RSIEC is unaware 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 and constructive advice. And those that 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 hold 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 pursue peace, expressing concern that the state is in its current state because a few of its sons decided to fight dirty politically.

The monarch, who endorsed the council election, enjoined Rivers people to support any process that would help restore peace and the democratic system in the state.

Meanwhile, the State Police Command has said it has developed a strategy for a hitch-free council election on August 30.

State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Superintendent of Police (SP) Grace Iringe-Koko, revealed this at the event.

She stressed that the state is peaceful, assuring that the council elections would be seamless.

The PPRO said, ?The police can handle it adequately, and our personnel are prepared for the 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 but 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 aimed to provide a platform where people could learn how to disagree without being enemies and compete without destroying the very fabric of society.

He insisted that togetherness would help society navigate the big question of how people can strengthen participation in the forthcoming local government elections while ensuring peace and unity. (The Sun)

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