RIVERS COUNCIL POLLS: CANDIDATES WANT LEVEL PLAYING GROUND

By – Memoye Oghu (PHC)

As the October 5 Rivers State Local councils elections inches closer, some chairmanship candidates of political parties participating in the election have called on Governor Siminalayi Fubara to be fair to all parties participating in the exercise.

They also commended the state independent electoral commission for a smooth screening exercise and urged them to conduct a credible, free and fair exercise if the true popular choice of the people must emerge.

In separate interviews in Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers State on Saturday on the sidelines of the birthday celebrations of the founder of a pro Sim Fubara political pressure group, Stakeholders for Integrity and Good Governance (SHIG), Rev (High Chief) Standfast Robinson Arugu and his wife, Pastor (Mrs) Rose Standfast Robinson, the chairmanship candidates said that from their screening by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), they’re hopeful that the exercise will be free and fair.

According to them, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who is father to all has promised to carry along all political parties participating in the election and should therefore be allowed to do so.

The Accord Party chairmanship candidate for Eleme Local Government Area, Mr Emmanuel John Nwafor said, “well, there are speculations, there are insinuations from the grapevine that the governor is trying to favour a particular party . . . Now, these speculations, I see them as unfounded because judging by his antecedents he’s a man of the people.

“So, I’m hopeful, I’m optimistic that the governor will give a level playing ground to all political parties. I want to urge the governor, our own performing governor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara not to allow political jobbers to direct him in the wrong direction. All political parties that have indicated interest in this election are fully in support of him.”

Infact, Mr Henry Tamunomiebi Roberts, the Labour Party chairmanship candidate for Okrika LGA described these insinuations as emanating from unpopular candidates who are not on ground in their various units and wards

“Where the worry comes is that a particular party is using the name of the governor, our father, the governor is a father to all. . . he has promised everybody a level playing ground. Infact, he told everybody that is supporting him to go to any party and fight for your ticket.

“There are some PDP persons that went to other parties to contest. So, this recent insinuations from people that don’t have crowd, don’t have followership in all the wards and units will come one day and claim that the governor said they should come and contest election. That’s fear, that’s failure and they’re not helping the governor,” he told our Correspondent.

The two chairmanship candidates who appear to have spoken the minds of many candidates for the election, however expressed optimism that the election would be violence free.

It would be recalled that the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) which reportedly said that the last #endbadgovernance protests affected its election timetable was yet to paste list of screened candidates in all polling units and wards across the state as promised as at press time.