• Chief Judge swears in election tribunals
• State setting dangerous precedent for democracy, says Cole

Ahead of the August 30 council elections in Rivers State, the police have vowed to deal with cultists and troublemakers planning to disrupt the elections.
 
The state Police Command also issued restrictions on human and vehicular movements from Friday midnight to 6:00 p.m. on Election Day. 
 
The State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, who spoke in Port Harcourt yesterday, said those on essential duties are exempted from the movement restriction.
 
Adepoju commended the people of the state for their peaceful disposition and understanding since the emergency rule began. 
 
He said: “You are all aware that on the 30th of this month, we are going to have the local council elections. We have done all due diligence to ensure that it is going to be peaceful.
 
“We have been holding meetings with stakeholders, and we have also gone to local councils and every other place to sensitise our people. We have also directed the local councils’ sole administrators to equally talk to people and hold stakeholders’ meetings, which have been done with positive responses”.
 
Adepoju said all arrangements had been made to ensure a free, fair and peaceful election, adding that all the security agencies would participate in the exercise with the police as the lead agency.

MEANWHILE, the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi, has constituted and sworn in the chairmen and members of the Local Government Election Petition Tribunals ahead of the August 30 council elections in the state.
 
The tribunals will cover the three senatorial districts of the state.
 
Chief Magistrate Kilsi Giadom was appointed as Chairman of the Rivers East Senatorial District Tribunal, with Promise Green and Christian John Jaja as members.
 
For the Rivers South-East Senatorial District Tribunal, Chief Magistrate Harry Sotonye Linda was appointed as Chairman, while Anthony Enyinda and Azubuike Georgewill will serve as members.
 
In Rivers West Senatorial District, Chief Magistrate Chimenem Okekem was appointed as Chairman, with Israel Dagogo Israel and Ala Atonibere as members.
 
In his remarks after administering the oath of office yesterday, Justice Amadi charged the tribunal chairmen and members to discharge their duties fearlessly, firmly, and without bias, in the overall interest of the state.

HOWEVER, the 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, has criticised the planned local council elections.
 
Speaking on Arise TV’s Morning Show yesterday, Cole said holding elections during a “state of emergency” under a sole administrator reflects everything wrong with Nigeria’s democracy.
 
Cole argued that if democratic structures in the state have been suspended for any reason, they should remain suspended until proper conditions are restored, insisting that conducting elections under such circumstances is unacceptable.
 
“I personally feel that having that election in the time of a state of emergency, under a sole administrator, says everything wrong about democracy.”

“If you have suspended all the democratic institutions, then let’s know we have suspended them for whatever reason.
 
“You cannot be having elections under that cover. So, I don’t think that is right, even the perception of it is wrong.”
 
Cole further alleged that the planned local council elections appear to be a political plot to capture the local council structures.
 
He warned that Rivers State is setting a very dangerous precedent for democracy in Nigeria.