The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, has said that the “coast is clear” for the termination of the emergency rule in Rivers state, adding that he was optimistic that the state of emergency declared in Rivers State would expire on September 18.
The former Rivers governor said the conduct of the state’s local government elections has cleared the path for the end of the emergency rule.
The minister spoke to journalists on Saturday after casting his vote in the LG elections in the state.
“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,” Wike said.
“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.”
President Bola Tinubu had declared a state of emergency in Rivers earlier this year following heightened political crisis and instability in the state.
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He also suspended Siminalayi Fubara, governor of the state; his deputy, Ngozi Odu; and all members of the Rivers assembly for six months.
In June, Wike, Fubara and members of the state assembly attended a peace meeting hosted by Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) is conducting the LG elections under the supervision of Ibok-Ete Ibas, the sole administrator of the state.
Commenting on the election, the FCT Minister said the exercise was largely peaceful while he countered reports of voter apathy.
“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,” he said.
Wike also dismissed concerns over the non-use of the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) in the election.
