• PDP chairmanship aspirant pledges to settle Wike, Fubara rift 

The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has confirmed receipt of non-sensitive electoral materials for the October 5, 2024, Local Council elections.

The Guardian gathered that some of the essential materials received include ballot boxes, indelible inks, manual papers for guide, pens, among others.

It was also learnt that RSIEC staff and some ad hoc staff have received partial payments for preparations for the polls.

Checks by The Guardian at the RSIEC headquarters along Aba Road, Port Harcourt, yesterday, showed minimal activities. Documents were being moved from offices and arranged, while some party candidates were also sighted submitting documents to the commission.

Further findings show that the commission is not strictly following the election timetable. A source in the Public Relations unit of the Commission explained that it was due to the #EndBadGovernance protest recently that disrupted its schedules.

Further monitoring shows that the full list of party candidates, which ought to have been displayed before now, is yet to be pasted.

The Public Relations unit source explained that the delay in displaying the lists was to give more time to political parties to complete their documentation and be on the same page with others.

HOWEVER, an aspirant for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairmanship position, Conrad Utaan, has vowed to reconcile the lingering feud between Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, if chosen as the party’s chairman.

He also faulted comments made by the leader of the Ijaw nation, Edwin Clark, and Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State on the political crisis in Rivers.

The state has been embroiled in crisis after a strained relationship between Fubara and Wike, his erstwhile political godfather. The bone of contention is who controls the PDP structures in the state.

Wike is currently serving as a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister under President Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

At the height of the crisis last year, 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly dumped the PDP for the APC. The lawmakers, led by the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, are loyal to Wike, who accused Fubara of starving them of funds.

Recently, in an interview, Wike accused Fubara of ingratitude and attempting to dismantle the political structure that brought him to power, vowing not to support Fubara in his political endeavours anymore.

Addressing a press briefing in Abuja, yesterday, Utaan stressed that reconciliation and peace can only be achieved through justice and respect for all members.

The PDP Chairmanship hopeful, who contested the House of Representatives seat for Makurdi/ Guma Federal Constituency, under the platform of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the 2011 election, said that the Rivers State crisis is an internal party issue, and should have been resolved at that level. He added: “I would stoop to the lowest level, even if it means going on my knees, to bring about peace.”