•Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd)
The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas (Rtd.), has officially sworn in the newly elected chairmen of the state’s 23 local government councils.
The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Government House, shortly after the chairmen received their certificates of return from the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) office, reports Channels TV.
On Saturday, the Rivers State Independent National Electoral Commission (RSIEC) held the local government elections across over 6,000 polling units.
According to the Commission, the All Progressives Congress (APC) won 20 local governments in the exercise.
While the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) claimed only two local governments in the oil-rich state.
APC also won the councillorship election in 20 LGAs, while the PDP claimed only three councils.
This is the first time the APC would gain dominance in Rivers since the return of democracy in 1999.
Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), Dr. Michael Odey, announced the winners of the LG polls yesterday at the Commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.
No other political party featured in either the chairmanship or councillorship contests.
Mixed turnout was recorded across the state. While rural communities witnessed high participation, several urban centres including Port Harcourt City, Obio/Akpor, and Akukutoro also recorded large crowds in some polling units, with low turnout in others.
The list of winners released by RSIEC shows that some of the elected chairmen are returning for a second term, having previously served under the administration of former Governor Nyesom Wike.
