Wike/Fubara: Rivers sole administrator administers oath of office to newly elected 23 LG chairmen

The Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (Rtd.), on Monday, swore in the newly elected chairmen of the state’s 23 local government councils.

The swearing-in, held at Government House, came shortly after the chairmen collected their certificates of return from the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC.

Local government elections had been conducted by RSIEC on Saturday, August 30, across more than 6,000 polling units in the state. The outcome marked a political shift, with the All Progressives Congress, APC, securing 20 chairmanship seats, while the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, won only two.

APC also clinched councillorship positions in 20 councils, leaving PDP with three.

The results represent the first time since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999 that the APC has emerged as the dominant party in Rivers State.

Announcing the winners on Sunday, August 31, at RSIEC’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, the commission’s chairman, Dr. Michael Odey, confirmed that no other parties contested either the chairmanship or councillorship races.

Voter turnout varied across the state. While many rural communities recorded high participation, urban areas such as Port Harcourt City, Obio/Akpor, and Akukutoro saw a mix of large gatherings in some polling units and low numbers in others.

According to RSIEC’s final list, several of the new chairmen are returning for another term, having previously served under former Governor Nyesom Wike.