‘That’s not true’, Wike Counter Report Turnout Low in the Election of LG Rivers

The Minister of Federal Capital Region (FCT), Nyesom Wike, gave his voice on Saturday morning at the Voting Unit in the Obio/Akport Regional Government area, Rivers State.

Speaking to journalists after voting around 10:30 am, Wike rejected the claim of low voter number, describing them as inaccurate.

“That’s not true. In most cases, the election starts at 10 am, when you go to the voting unit at 9 am and expect people to get out at that time, it usually does not happen,” he said.

The minister noted that voter participation appeared to be stronger in the residential environment compared to commercial areas, which, he said, tended to record lower voters. He also praised the security operator for ensuring a peaceful training.

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Wike, who served as Governor of Rivers State between 2015 and 2023 and was once the Chairperson of Obio/Akport LGA, participated in the first local government election since the Supreme Court canceled October 5, 2024, a poll conducted under Governor Siminali Fubara.

The High Court has decided that the Rivers’s State Independent Election Commission failed to meet the requirements described in section 150 (3) Election Law before holding the election.

The political crisis in Rivers was getting this year when the President of Bola Tinubu, in March, suspected the Governor of Fubara, his deputy, and members of the State Assembly for six months. The President then appointed Ibok-Ete Iba as the only state administrator, also for a six-month term.