Elder Statesman Edwin Clark has commended both President Bola Tinubu and Governor Siminalayi Fubara for the peaceful conduct of Rivers State’s local government elections on October 5, 2024.
In a statement he personally signed, he praised the high voter turnout and the absence of police involvement, marking a significant shift in the electoral process.
Edwin Clark highlighted that the election was free from violence and interference, contrasting it with the recent Edo State governorship election that required extensive police deployment.
He urged the Federal Government and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to investigate ways to reduce electoral costs.The Action Peoples Party (APP) emerged victorious, winning 22 out of 23 chairmanship positions, a historic first for an opposition party in Rivers since 1999.
Justice Adolphus Enebeli, chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, confirmed the results, noting the election’s transparency and citizen engagement despite adverse weather conditions.
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Edwin Clark congratulated the newly elected officials and called for unity among Rivers citizens to foster peace and development. He emphasised the need to move past political crises and work towards a brighter future for the state.
His statement read: I join millions of Nigerians and the good people of Rivers State to thank God for the very successful, transparent, and peaceful local government elections that took place in Rivers State on Saturday, 5th October 2024. I am particularly glad that the citizens of the state turned out in large numbers to exercise their right to vote.
This achievement, despite the deliberate boycott of the police from participating in the elections, demonstrates that the people of Rivers State, and indeed, Nigerians as a whole, are mature and patriotic enough to conduct elections and manage their affairs without interference from the police.
This is a significant and commendable development because there has never been any election, be it presidential, state, or local government, where the security agencies, particularly the police, were not involved, with significant amounts of public funds expended.
The fact that a statewide Local Government election can be conducted in a free, fair, and credible manner without the loss of lives and destruction of property is a remarkable experience.
How do we reconcile this with the recent governorship election in a neighboring Edo State, where over 40,000 officers and men of the Nigerian police force were deployed, at a huge cost to the government, followed by complaints and contestations at different levels?
I suggest that the Federal Government, and indeed, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), should thoroughly examine this development with a view to finding ways to reduce the high electoral expenditures in the country.
In a very special way, my hearty congratulations go to all the newly elected chairmen, vice chairmen, and councillors of the respective Local Government Councils in Rivers State for their success in the polls. This is an affirmation of the confidence that the people of Rivers State in the various communities have in them.
I want to thank His Excellency, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission for creating the atmosphere for the conduct of credible elections and for the excellent arrangements that were made. At the same time, I also thank His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-In- Chief of the Armed Forces of Federal Republic of Nigeria, for ensuring that the various security agencies exercised due restraint which aided the successful outcome of the polls.
To the delight of all patriotic Nigerians, this has brought great relief, despite the attempts by unpatriotic elements who did all within their powers to frustrate the democratic process. Regrettably, some unscrupulous elements of respected national institutions such as the Nigerian Police almost fell to their unwholesome and undemocratic plot.
With this successful election, I call on all the people of Rivers State to come together and ensure that peace and development reign in the State, now and in the years ahead. Enough of unending troubles and distractions.
Moreover, one major lesson from the outcome of this election is that the political crisis that has tormented the state in the past year has no ethnic bias. Rather, it is a fight between evil and good, truth and lies. Let them now put the past behind them and forge a new future.
At my age, nearing 98 years, I will continue to fight for the consolidation of democracy in our country and hope that this peaceful conduct of elections as exemplified in Rivers State on 5th October 2024, will be replicated in all the states of the federation, with minimal security involvement, devoid of unnecessary intrigues and interference.
May God bless Nigeria always.
