Live Reporting
11:00 Voting ongoing at Ward 18, Khana LGA
Pictures show councillorship candidate for Ward 18, Khana LGA, Mr James Nubaridoo Darlington, others casting vote in their unit in Duburo Community, Khana LGA, Rivers State.
10:30 Accreditation Commences
Accreditation has started in polling centres where materials have arrived. While the accreditation has started, some shops are seen open and majority of residents are going about their businesses.
Accreditation has started at Ward 11 PHALGA, Ward 16 Obio/Akpor.
Materials arrived at Ward 11, Mile One PHALGA, Ojukwu field at about 9.35am.
Rivers LG Elections: Voters Head to Polls Amid Lawsuits
Rivers State Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), has appealed to all Rivers people to conduct themselves peacefully during Saturday’s controversial local government elections.
Some prominent Rivers indigenes had earlier asked President Bola Tinubu to halt the elections. Five others even sued the Federal Government, Ibas, and the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to stop the polls.
But speaking on Friday , Ibas assured residents that the government was ready. “All necessary arrangements have been made to ensure a safe and peaceful election,” he said. He urged citizens to “please go out tomorrow (today) and exercise your civic responsibility without fear or intimidation.”
Ibas made the appeal at Government House, Port Harcourt, when he met leaders of organised labour and Local Government Administrators. He reinforced his administration’s commitment to transparency, staff welfare, and the successful conclusion of the ongoing staff verification exercise.
“Tomorrow’s elections are an important step towards restoring democratic governance at the grassroots. But leaders can only be held accountable when there is clarity on the human and material resources available to them,” he explained.
On staff verification, he disclosed: “37,703 state staff have been verified, against a previous figure of over 43,000. 19,186 state pensioners verified, compared to over 25,500. 2,004 local government pensioners verified out of over 2,600. 8,000 local government staff verified across seven LGAs, including Obio/Akpor, Bonny, Etche, and Degema.”
Ibas gave a deadline of September 4, 2025, for completion of all local government staff verification, vowing to deploy state resources to achieve it.
On arrears, he admitted the situation was “deeply regrettable,” noting that only March 2025 arrears had been cleared due to record challenges. He warned after discovering an overpayment of N117 million in the March schedule: “There must be consequences. Such malpractice is a crime against colleagues whose bereaved families are left in pain and penury.”
Labour leaders welcomed the exercise. Rivers NLC Chairman, Alex Agwanwu, said it has “fostered efficiency, transparency, and professionalism.” TUC Chairman, Christopher Amadi, praised the fact that “the exercise did not disrupt salary payments.” Chairman of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, Emecheta Chuku, admitted there was initial skepticism but commended the effort, saying it was aimed at “cleaning up the system by identifying impostors.”
Meanwhile, Security operatives staged patrols across Port Harcourt and Obio/Akporon Friday to reassure residents of safety before, during, and after the polls.
RSIEC Chairman, Michael Odey, said the commission was ready. He disclosed: “Movement of non-sensitive materials started on Thursday, while sensitive materials were moved to LGAs on Friday under security escort. Adhoc staff were adequately trained and the commission is poised to deliver free, fair, credible and transparent elections.”
The State Commissioner of Police also reassured citizens: “These operations reflect a broader strategy to dismantle criminal networks and ensure public confidence in law enforcement agencies, especially as it concerns the upcoming chairmanship/councillorship election.” He appealed to the public to partner with security agencies by providing credible information.
Blessing Ibunge
ARISE News will bring you live updates from the Rivers Local Government elections. Kindly refresh this page for the latest…
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