Governor Fubara has declared public holidays on Thursday and Friday in Rivers State. Discover the details and significance of the decision.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminarai Hubara, has declared Thursday and Friday public holidays to allow residents to travel to their respective communities ahead of Saturday’s local government elections.
There will also be a strict ban on traffic from midnight on Friday, October 4, until 5pm on polling day.
Governor Hubara made these announcements on Wednesday in a national radio broadcast from Government House, Port Harcourt. The holidays are intended to give citizens sufficient time to prepare for and participate in the local government elections.
Following the expiration of the three-year terms of the Speakers and Members of the 23 local assemblies on June 17, 2023, Governor Hubara has appointed a transition committee to temporarily manage the assemblies.
The elections to be organised by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) will see these positions filled through a legitimate electoral process.
The Governor stated that as a step towards entrenching sustainable democracy and good governance in the local government system in the country, “the Supreme Court ruling in SC/CV/343/2024: A-G Federation v. A-G Abia State” and No. 35 dated 11 July 2024 “effectively banned the running of local government councils by unelected officials and issued several orders including the immediate suspension of statutory allocations to local government councils without democratically elected local government councils.”
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Following the President’s intervention, the deadline to implement the Supreme Court ruling was generously extended by three months to expire on 31 October 2024.
He said: “Based on these positive developments, I have directed the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to take concrete steps to conduct the local government elections in the 23 local councils of Rivers State.
“In accordance with this directive, the RSIEC has made and completed all preparations to conduct the local government elections on Saturday, October 5, 2024.
“The legal right of the RSIEC to conduct the local government elections has been further strengthened by the judgment of the Rivers State High Court dated September 4, 2024 in Suit Number: PHC/2696/CS/2024. The state, Rivers State Government and the RSIEC are specifically directed to conduct the local government elections scheduled for October 5, 2025 using the Independent National Electoral Commission Voters Register for 2023 already under the custody of the RSIEC.
“To date, the RVSIEC has identified and demonstrated concrete and verifiable capacity and readiness to conduct the local government elections in Rivers State on October 5, 2024.
“To date, 17 out of 18 registered political parties, including the All Progressives Congress, have clearly and positively indicated their willingness to participate by fielding candidates in the RSIEC in the run-up to the elections.
“… To this end, I hereby declare Thursday and Friday, 3rd and 4th October, 2024, as public holidays during which the public may travel to their areas and participate in the elections.
“Furthermore, there is to be a total ban on the movement of vehicles and persons in and out of the states and local government areas from 12am on Friday, 4th October, 2024 to 5am on Saturday, 5th October, 2024, except for persons and vehicles with valid identity documents headed for elections and other important events.
“The police and other security agencies have received clear instructions from the National Security Council to arrest and prosecute any person or entity attempting to violate the restrictions on the movement of persons and vehicles on election day.
