• Oborevweri rules out rigging in Delta
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has issued a directive to all political parties participating in the upcoming local council elections to schedule their primaries from July 19 to 24, 2024 .
The Commission urged the parties to submit the names of their successful candidates promptly, setting the stage for a competitive and intense electoral process.
The commissioner in charge of Political Parties and Monitoring, RSIEC, Prof. Simon Emenike-Wali, addressed local party leaders in a meeting, yesterday, emphasising the need for transparency in party finances.
He stressed that parties must disclose revenue generated from their primaries to the commission for assessment, promoting accountability and good governance in the electoral process.
Emenike-Wali disclosed that the commission has identified five instances of double nominations, highlighting potential electoral irregularities.
Additionally, he announced that 16 out of the 19 registered political parties have collected interest expression forms, indicating a high level of engagement in the upcoming elections.
He outlined the objectives of the meeting, which included discussing the screening of candidates, the deadline for returning nomination forms, and issues related to tax clearance to ensure a smooth and transparent electoral process.
He said: “Parties should correctly fill and return the completed form given to them by RSIEC captioned, ‘Particulars of Positions To Be Contested For The 2024 Local Government Council Elections In Rivers State.’ You have been given that form, so notify RSIEC of the venue, date and time for party primaries.”
Earlier, the Chairman of RSIEC, Justice Adolphus Enebeli, retired, stressed that the Rivers State Internal Revenue Board should issue the tax clearance form free of charge, waiving any fees to facilitate a hassle-free process for political parties and candidates.
IN the same vein, the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevweri, yesterday, berated the former governorship candidate of Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 governorship elections, Ken Pella, for alleging that Saturday’s council elections in the state have been won by PDP candidates across board.
Oborevwori, who attacked Pella over his alleged rigging of the council elections, said that at the PDP mega rally held at the Cenotaph in Asaba, it was unfortunate that someone could allege rigging in an election that was yet to be conducted.
He said: “I was watching Arise Television yesterday and the LP candidate for the 2023 governorship election in Delta State, who couldn’t secure up to 50,000 votes in the election, is already cooking up allegations of rigging in Saturday’s local council elections.
