The Action People’s Party (APP) has emerged as the dominant political force in Rivers State, securing 314 out of 319 councillorship seats in the recently concluded local government elections held across the state’s 23 local government areas.
The results were announced on Sunday by Justice Adolphus Enebeli, Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), during a press briefing in Port Harcourt.
According to Enebeli, the APP clinched victory in an overwhelming majority of the wards, leaving just five seats distributed among other parties. The All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), and Young People’s Party (YPP) each managed to win a single councillorship seat.
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This outcome is significant, considering the earlier confusion surrounding APC’s participation in the October 5th local government elections.
The party’s caretaker committee chairman, Chief Tony Okocha, had previously suggested that the APC would not take part in the elections due to unresolved legal issues. However, the official results confirm that APC did participate and secured only one seat.
Chief Emeka Beke, the factional chairman of the Rivers APC, had also declared the party’s readiness before the election, contradicting Okocha’s stance. “As the authentic chairman of APC in Rivers State, we are fully prepared for the election,” Beke stated.
The APP’s landslide victory has solidified its position as the leading political party in Rivers State, setting the stage for a new era of local governance. Political observers believe that the outcome may significantly alter the political dynamics in the state ahead of future elections.