By JOSHUA OGBOLOGUGO

The administrator says the peaceful conduct of the LG polls and the swearing-in of elected chairmen and councillors across the 23 local government areas fulfilled the presidential directive handed to him on March 18, 2025.

Rivers State Administrator, Vice Admiral (Retd.) Ibok-Ete Ibas, has declared that the mandate entrusted to him by President Bola Tinubu under the emergency rule in the state has been “sufficiently achieved” with the restoration of democratic governance at the grassroots.

Ibas stated this during a ceremony where the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) presented its comprehensive report on the recently concluded local government elections to him at the government house in Port Harcourt on Friday.

He said the peaceful conduct of the polls and the swearing-in of elected chairmen and councillors across the 23 local government areas fulfilled the presidential directive handed to him on March 18, 2025.

“Mr President’s mandate to me was clear: stabilise the state, re-establish its institutions, and return Rivers State to full democratic governance. With the successful conduct and inauguration of local government councils, we have decisively delivered on that mandate,” he stated.

He praised RSIEC for organising what he described as a fair, credible, and transparent process that has drawn commendation within and outside the state.

“For once, an election was conducted where nobody was harassed, where people freely made their choice of leaders. This reflects the enabling environment we collectively built,” he added.

The administrator further assured that the RSIEC report would be carefully reviewed, with a government white paper to follow.

He expressed appreciation to his team, security agencies, and state officials for their collaboration, noting that “nation-building requires synergy and shared commitment.”

Presenting the report, the RSIEC Chairman, Mike Odey, hailed the election as a “historic achievement” for Rivers State and Nigeria.

He explained that the report covered the entire process, from the election notice and stakeholder engagements to polling, collation, and announcement of winners.

“The document outlines our achievements, challenges, and recommendations to strengthen future elections in the state,” he said, stressing that the exercise was conducted in line with the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission Law of 2018 (as amended).

Mr. Odey credited the success to collaboration with political parties, civil society, and security agencies, while thanking the Administrator for providing “adequate and sufficient” funding.

“In Nigeria’s electoral history, no institution at national or sub-national level has organised and concluded an entire electoral process within 30 days. With modesty, I state this as an unprecedented record,” he declared.

He concluded by commending Rivers people for their peaceful participation, while praying for sustained progress and prosperity in the state.

At the height of the political crisis between the state governor, Sim Fubara, and Martins Amaewhule camp, President Bola Tinubu, in a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, imposed a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspended Fubara and his deputy, as well as the Rivers State House of Assembly members, for six months in the first instance.

However, Tinubu met with Fubara, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly Martins Amaewhule, and members of the assembly at the Presidential Villa in June, where he reconciled the parties whose dispute led to the declaration of a state of emergency in the state on March 18.

Barely two days after a fresh round of peace talks at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Fubara, Wike, and Amaewhule, again appeared in public together at a funeral service in Rumueprikom, Wike’s hometown in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.(Channels)