Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has said that the successful conduct of Rivers State’s local government elections has paved way for lifting of the emergency rule in the state.
Gatekeepers News reports that Wike made the remark while speaking to journalists on Saturday after casting his ballot in Obio/Akpor.
He said, “I do know that by September 18, the state of emergency will expire, and that would mean that the state governor and state assembly will come back to their job, and we will have a government at the grassroots level.”
“Having done this (LG elections), then the coast is clear for the state of emergency to be lifted, being that the state government has its representative and the local government has its representatives, so we are good to go.”
The minister described the poll as generally calm and dismissed claims of low turnout.
He said, “As far as we are concerned, this election is peaceful. People are trooping out, and at the end of the day, the election has been conducted successfully and peacefully.”
Wike also downplayed concerns over the non-use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), insisting the process remained credible.
Recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had imposed emergency rule earlier this year after a surge in political unrest. As part of the measure, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all members of the state assembly were suspended for six months.
In June, Tinubu hosted Wike, Fubara, and state assembly members in Abuja for peace talks.
