Members of the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) staged a protest march in Port Harcourt, the state capital, to voice their opposition to the upcoming Local Government Elections, scheduled for October 5, 2024.
The protest saw large crowds, accompanied by members of the Tony Okocha-led All Progressives Congress (APC) faction, marching to the Department of State Security (DSS) office and the Government House.
The protesters, holding placards and chanting protest songs, began their march from the PDP secretariat along Aba Road and proceeded to the DSS facility at Old GRA, where they submitted a petition. They later marched to the Government House. One of the banners displayed read, “TAI people say no to lawlessness. Say no to LGA election. RSIEC must obey court judgment. SIM must obey court judgment.”
Speaking at the DSS office, PDP stakeholder Aron Chukwuemeka explained that the protest was primarily to reject the October 5 local government elections. “We are here to say no to the scheduled elections, as they do not align with court rulings, and we demand that the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) obeys the law,” he said.
The protest comes amidst ongoing legal issues, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) revealed it had not yet released the 2023 Voter Register to RSIEC due to administrative reasons and a court judgement from Abuja that barred the commission from releasing the register. Resident Electoral Commissioner Johnson Alalibo confirmed this during a press briefing, further complicating the scheduled elections.
Former local government chairmen, House of Representatives members, and other political figures loyal to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike were also present at the protest. Security officers were deployed in large numbers to manage the crowd, which caused significant traffic disruptions in the city.
