RSIEC Holds Re-run, Bye-elections, August 14

The re-run election and bye-elections in five councillorship positions in Rivers State holds on 14th of next month.

The commissioner in the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), Hon. Nimi Walson-Jack said the re-run election is for the councillorship of Ward 8 in Ahoada West Local Government Area of the State.

In a statement in Port Harcourt, Walson-Jack who is RSIEC commissioner in-charge of Public Affairs and Civic Education, said the bye-elections are for Ward 12 (Ahoada East), Ward 5 (Asari-Toru), Ward 14 (Emohua), and Ward 12 (Ikwerre). According to him, the bye-elections into the respective councillorship positions were necessitated following the death of the councilors representing the affected wards.

But the election in Ahoada West Ward 8, he explained is a re-run of the local government council election held on March 29, 2008. He recalled that the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt had directed that the re-run be held only upon the inclusion of the name of a specific candidate in the voters’ register of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Consequent upon that, Walson-Jack said RSIEC has now received the updated register of voters in respect of the ward, and advised political parties interested in contesting the elections for the councillorship position to forward a letter of expression of interest to RSIEC latest today.

The RSIEC Public Affairs Commissioner told political parties interested in such elections to indicate the venues and time for their primaries in the affected wards, adding that primaries must hold next week Saturday.

According to him, the re-run election in Ward 8 – AWELGA is open to only those political parties and candidates that contested the 2008 local government council elections in that ward.

In accordance with the provisions of RSIEC Law 2007, he said eligible candidates for the bye-elections in AELGA, ASALGA, MOLGA and KELGA are only those selected or nominated by their political parties in line with their respective party constitutions at primaries monitored and supervised by RSIEC.