Ijaw Youth Council eastern zone accuses Wike of plotting to scuttle Rivers LG poll
By Jeffrey Agbo
Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) eastern zone has condemned alleged plots by the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, to scuttle Saturday’s local government election in Rivers State.
In a statement on Friday signed by the chairman of IYC eastern zone, Datolu Sukubo, and the secretary, Tamunokuro Dango, the group said: “Having failed in his plot to use frivolous, scandalous and vexatious court orders from Federal High Courts Abuja to stop the election, the FCT Minister has resorted to colluding with the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun to stop the election citing a fraudulent court order.
“We also condemn Thursday’s protest in Port-Harcourt by some loyalists of the FCT Minister to arm-twist security agencies and create tension in the State ahead of the Council poll.
“We commend the Rivers State Governor, His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS for swiftly and courageously foiling an attempt on the eve of the election by a detachment of the Nigerian Police led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Rivers State in charge of Operations to take-over the Headquarters of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commissioner, RSIEC in Port Harcourt and cart away sensitive electoral materials on the orders of the IGP and at the behest of the FCT Minister.
“We applaud the Governor for upholding the rule of law by seeking to fully comply with the recent judgment of the Supreme Court on financial autonomy for Local Governments, which abolished the administration of Local Government by unelected officials.
“The decision by the Governor to conduct the Local Government election ahead of the October 31st 2024 deadline by the Federal Government for implementation of the Supreme Court judgment is thoughtful and highly commendable.
“We salute the Governor’s courage, resilience and irrevocable commitment to proceed with the election despite attempts by the anti-democratic forces to stop the election from holding and truncate constitutional democracy at the third tier of government, all in a bid to control the resources of the State.”
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The IYC eastern zone further said the alleged desperation by Wike and others to stop the local government election from holding after initially criticising the governor for not conducting the election and instead using caretaker committees to administer Local Governments, shows their hypocrisy and confusion.
The group added, “It is regrettable that they are hell-bent in stopping the election after realizing that their initial decision to boycott the poll was misguided and detrimental to them.
“In light of the foregoing, IYC Eastern Zone urges the electorates in Rivers State particularly the Youth who constitute the highest number of the voting population to turn out en masse and peacefully participate in Saturday’s Local Government Election in the State.
“We call on President Bola Tinubu to prevail on both the IGP Kayode Egbetokun and the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to jettison their evil plan to scuttle the Council poll in the interest of peace because we will vehemently resist them as nobody has a monopoly of violence.
“They should allow the conduct of the election as there is no court order stopping it which supersedes the judgment of the Supreme Court on the matter.
“IYC will not condone acts capable of jeopardizing the rights of Rivers people to freely participate in the electoral process as enshrined in the constitution.
“We call on all Rivers Youths especially those of Ijaw extraction not to allow themselves to be used by anyone as cannon folders to foment trouble during the election.
“We have activated our security network ahead of the election across different Wards of the 23 Local Government Areas of the State to remain vigilant with high sense of alert against attempts by anyone to foment trouble before, during and after the election.
“We therefore warn troublemakers and those who have no business with the Rivers State Local Government Election to steer clear the State.”
 Eastern Zone has condemned alleged plots by the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, to scuttle Saturday’s local){kind=link}